McDonald's Serves Up Abused Pigs in its Egg McMuffins

McDonald’s is the largest customer of the largest pork company in the world, Smithfield Foods. And lately, Smithfield has been proving itself to be one of the food industry's biggest lying liars.

Back in 2007, Smithfield said it would phase out the use of gestation crates by 2017, a decision that was lauded by McDonald's. Some producers use gestation crates to house pregnant sows, and the enclosures are so restrictive and unsanitary that pigs can't even move around without hurting themselves.

In McDonald’s 2008 Corporate Responsibility Report, the company notes that “McDonald’s has long supported suppliers that choose to move away from sow gestation crates and tethers.” It goes so far as to quote Smithfield’s CEO in saying "...when McDonald's and other customers told us they believe group housing to be more comfortable for animals, we listened."

Unfortunately, Smithfield seems to have forgotten what it welcomed with open ears just a few years ago. In 2009, Smithfield went back on its promise to phase out gestation crates by 2017, claiming economic difficulties. Though the company recently boasted record profits, it still hasn't re-committed to phase out gestation crates. Even after 12,000 activists on Change.org asked the company to tell us why it won't get back on track to phase out gestation crates, Smithfield remained frustratingly silent.

Gestation crates are exceptionally cruel and unsanitary, and have been banned by the European Union, New Zealand, and eight U.S. states (Florida, Arizona, Oregon, Colorado, California, Michigan, Maine, and Ohio). An undercover investigator for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) recently documented the suffering endured by female breeding pigs held in gestation crates on a factory farm operated by a subsidiary of Smithfield Foods. Many of these pigs develop pressure sores and infections from crate-related injuries and from simply lying in the same position for days and weeks on end without any room to move. Out of sheer boredom, the confined pigs engage in repetitive behaviors like bar biting and head swaying — sometimes injuring themselves in the process.

As Smithfield's largest customer and one of the world’s most visible and recognizable brands, McDonald’s has an enormous amount of influence on the pork  industry. McDonald's top two competitors, Burger King and Wendy’s, have already publicly condemned gestation crates and, importantly, also begun using gestation crate-free pork.

Perhaps most critically, McDonald’s itself still opposes gestation crates — at least in words, that is. On its own Web site McDonald's states, “We continue to find evidence that supports our long-standing position to support suppliers who are phasing out sow gestation crates in our supply chain.” Yet McDonald's has yet to put its money where its mouth is, continuing to financially support Smithfield and serve as the company's largest customer.

Now is the time for McDonald's to fulfill its own promises and tell Smithfield that it needs to honor its commitment to phase out gestation crates. If the company's largest customer tells it to make a move, you can bet that Smithfield will take the request seriously. Add your name to this petition, and tell McDonald's to stand up for gestation crate-free pork!

Photo Credit: dennis via Flickr