14 / 40
Wholesale conversion to loose
housing for gestating sows in
Maple Leaf Foods’ barns followed
a high profile 2015 promise by
CEO Michael McCain to enhance
animal wellness practices.
The policy included loose hous-
ing for all sows under corporate
management with a minimum tar-
get of 37,000 animals by 2017.
It led also to recruitment last
summer of former Ontario chief
veterinarian Dr. Greg Douglas as
Maple Leaf’s new vice-president,
animal care.
Maple Leaf announcements
mirror moves by major U.S. swine-
processing firms Cargill Incorporat-
ed, Tyson Foods Inc. and Smith-
field Foods Inc. Chinese-owned,
Virginia-based Smithfield claims
ownership of the world’s larg-
est swine herd. The company’s
annual report for 2014 counted
894,000 sows in U.S. operations,
all to be raised in open housing
by 2017.
A spokesperson for Sofina
Foods Inc. in Markham said in
an emailed response to questions
that the company is “committed”
to ensuring the Code of Practice
for the Care and Handling of Pigs
is followed “to meet or exceed es-
tablished standards.” Sofina took
over Burlington-based Fearmans
Pork, Ontario’s oldest and largest
pork processing firm, in 2012.
“We will continue to monitor
any developments in this area
to improve the welfare of the
animals and will work with all
stakeholders including suppliers
of hogs to ensure this occurs on
a timely basis,” the Sofina state-
ment said.
Opinions differ among hog pro-
ducers about what’s driving the
move, even those already com-
mitted to group housing. Huron
Country grower and group housing
advocate Geert Geene expressed
doubts in a recent interview about
the growth of interest in farm
animal welfare among consum-
ers. He downplayed the trend and
even questioned its significance
in generating regulatory pressure
14
Better pork
August 2016
MAIN
FEATURE
What drives the push to loose housing for sows
by JIM ALGIE
Opinions differ among hog
producers about what’s
driving the move to group
sow housing.