Business
Maple Leaf Foods Will Complete Conversion of All Company Sow Barns to Advanced Open Housing System in 2021
Maple Leaf Foods Will Complete Conversion of All Company Sow Barns to Advanced Open Housi...
About this update from Maple Leaf Foods Inc.
[{"type":"text","content":"\n \n \n \n Maple Leaf Foods Will Complete Conversion of All Company Sow Barns to Advanced Open Housing System in 2021\n \n \n /* Style Definitions */\nspan.prnews_span\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\na.prnews_a\n{\ncolor:blue;\n}\nli.prnews_li\n{\nfont-size:8pt;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\n}\np.prnews_p\n{\nfont-size:0.62em;\nfont-family:\"Arial\";\ncolor:black;\nmargin:0in;\n}\n.prntac{\nTEXT-ALIGN: CENTER\n}\n \n \n \n \n \n \n Canada NewsWire\n \n \n \n \n \n The World Class Animal Care Program Makes Maple Leaf a North American\n \n Leader in Producing Pigs Without Gestation Crates\n \n \n \n \n MISSISSAUGA, ON\n \n ,\n \n Nov. 17, 2021\n \n /CNW/ - Maple Leaf Foods Inc. (TSX: MFI), a leading North American producer of high-quality, sustainable protein, announced today that by the end of 2021, it will complete transitioning all breeding sows in company-owned barns to its unique, industry-leading Advanced Open Sow Housing System. This world-class system provides optimized, open housing during pregnancy that allows sows to roam, rest, feed and socialize freely.\n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n \n This shift in sow housing make Maple Leaf Foods a North American leader in producing pigs without gestation crates and represents another key milestone in the company's commitment to better care through advanced animal welfare.\n \n \n \n \n Ending the Use of Gestation Crates\n \n \n \n \n In 2014,\n \n Canada's\n \n pork industry committed to ending gestation crate use by 2024. As one of\n \n North America's\n \n leading protein producers, Maple Leaf Foods signed this agreement but set a more ambitious timeline to convert all its owned Maple Leaf Agri-Farms sow barns to a new Advanced Open Sow Housing System by the end of 2021. Maple Leaf Foods' company-owned barns produce approximately 40 percent of the pigs that the company uses annually to produce its branded pork products.\n \n \n Gestation crates are individual stalls in which pregnant pigs are confined during the 78-day gestation period to ensure their safety, but concerns have been raised about their impact on welfare and natural behaviour. A 2013 survey conducted by Humane Society International–Canada revealed that 84 per cent of Canadians supported elimination of gestation crates.\n \n (1)\n \n \n \n As part of the company's commitme...