Making the “Year of the Pig” a Better One for Pigs
In anticipation of the arrival of the “Year of the Pig” on February 18, the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) posted a summary of some of the recent positive changes in the pig industry:
“A revolution is underway in the pig industry,” said Wayne Pacelle, president and CEO of The HSUS. “Whether at the corporate, legislative or consumer level, there is a tidal wave of opposition to the common U.S. agribusiness practice of confining mother pigs in gestation crates so small the sows cannot even turn around. While last year’s landmark advancements for pigs were tremendously exciting, we can expect the upcoming year to bring even more improvements for the welfare of these social, intelligent animals.”
Industry Leaders Making Change
In late January, Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pig producer, announced that it was making perhaps the most monumental advance for animal welfare in the history of modern American agribusiness—phasing out the confinement of breeding sows in gestation crates over the next decade. Less than one week later, Canada’s largest pig producer, Maple Leaf Foods, made a similar pledge. [author’s note: one has to wonder why it takes ten years to provide more space for gestating sows so that they can turn around.]
These decisions came just three months after Arizona voters overwhelmingly approved an initiative banning gestation crates—despite a multimillion-dollar industry campaign to defeat it. In 2002, Florida voters approved a similar measure. The Humane Society of the United States spearheaded both efforts.
These are some positive developments, but the meat industry still has a long way to go in improving animal welfare and reducing environmental impact. A recent Rolling Stone article about Smithfield Foods described some of the worst practices. One way to avoid subsidizing such practices is to buy pork bearing the words “Pasture-Raised”, “Free Range”, “Certified Humane”, or “Free Farmed.” The HSUS has a short guide that explains these terms and others, and whether they are strictly marketing or are backed up by third-party audits (e.g., “Free Farmed”) or USDA oversight (e.g., “Pasture-Raised”).
Another negative consequence of factory farms is the loss of biodiversity. With pigs raised in relatively climate controlled environments and with shareholders looking for ever higher quarterly profits, a small number of breeds are chosen for maximum growth rates, resistance to certain diseases, low fat content, and other profit-enhancing characteristics. This leaves breeds that are adapted to free-ranging in certain regions, have high fat contents, or have distinctive flavor vulnerable to extinction (either literal or from the marketplace). Groups like Slow Food USA, Heritage Foods USA, and others are working to preserve rare breeds. Slow Food USA has placed several pig varieties in their Ark of Taste, which seeks “to save an economic, social and cultural heritage - a universe of animal breeds, fruit and vegetables, cured meats, cheese, cereals, pastas, cakes and confectionery.” Heritage Foods USA tried a more dramatic publicity campaign last year, in which they brought two live Red Wattle Pigs on a tour around the United States (the Ethicurean wrote about the pigs’ visit to Oakland). This article in the San Jose Mercury News provides a good explanation of heritage pig breeds.
