OAK BROOK, Ill. — McDonald’s USA has unveiled a 10-year plan to phase out the use of gestation stalls for its U.S. pork supply.
“This plan provides a 10-year window for McDonald’s producers and suppliers to develop practical and sustainable implementation steps to achieve the phase out of sow-gestation stalls,” said Dr. Ed Pajor, professor of Animal Welfare, University of Calgary and member of the McDonald’s Animal Welfare Council.
The plan was developed with input from suppliers, pork producers and animal-welfare experts. The company plans to develop needed traceability systems that will verify pork sourced from non-gestation-stall supply chains and assess how to best support producers migrating away from gestation stalls. By 2017, McDonald’s will seek to source pork for its U.S. business solely from producers who share its commitment to phase out gestation stalls.
“We value our relationship with our suppliers, and our shared commitment to animal welfare,” said Dan Gorsky, SVP of McDonald’s North America Supply Chain Management. “Our approach seeks to build on the work already in place, and we are also sensitive to the needs of the smaller, independent pork producers in phasing out of gestation stalls.”
A number of foodservice operators, including Burger King and Wendy’s have already made commitments to phase out gestation crates. Meanwhile, Domino’s refuses to follow suit.
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