Charoen Pokphand Foods, an agro-industrial and food conglomerate, released its Sustainability Report this week, which said it would ensure that 100% of the pregnant breeding sows were in group gestation pens by 2025 for Thailand operations and by 2028 for international operations.
“With determination to promote animal welfare, the company announced its global vision for antimicrobial use and animal welfare policy, together with setting long-term targets for the expansion of breeder sow husbandry from individual crate to group gestation pens to cover Thailand’s operations by 2020 and to cover overseas operations by 2028,” said Charoen Pokphand Foods executives Sooksunt Jiumjaiswanglerg, Dhanin Chearavanout and Sukhawat Dansermsuk in the report.
Jacqueline Mills, head of campaign for animals in farming at World Animal Protection, said Charoen Pokphand Foods must now deliver on this commitment.
“We want to see the world’s biggest producers commit to end close confinement, barren environments and painful mutilations, so that pigs can be pigs and live pain-free, move, play, root, explore, socialise and experience natural behaviour,” said Mills.
The development follows World Animal Protection’s engagement with Thai company Betagro, which committed last year to getting mother pigs out of cages when pregnant and when giving birth by 2027.
It also influenced the first Chinese company, Zhejiang Qinglian Foods, to commit to getting mother pigs out of cages when pregnant by 2025.
World Animal Protection is set to announce its global campaign #Raisepigsright, to improve the lives of pigs in farming, from next week.