The hidden cost of Walmart's pork. Walmart Pork Suppliers: See more videos...

INVESTIGATIONS AT WALMART PORK SUPPLIERS REVEAL: Pregnant pigs confined to filthy, metal gestation crates so small they are unable to even turn around or lie down comfortably Workers slamming conscious piglets headfirst into the ground and leaving them to suffer and slowly die Workers ripping out the testicles and slicing off the tails of piglets without the use of any painkillers Sick and injured pigs with severe, bleeding wounds or infections left to suffer without veterinary care Learn More...

Speak Out Against Walmart's Cruelty Sign the petition calling on Walmart to stop purchasing from suppliers using cruel gestation crates. SIGN PETITION

We'll send the petition to each of Walmart's Board of Directors. Rob Walton

Chairman of the Board of Directors Jim Walton

Walmart Board of Directors Mike Duke

Walmart Board of Directors

TAKE MORE ACTION 1. Facebook 2. Twitter 3. Email Post a message on Walmart's Facebook page urging the company to phase out cruel gestation crates. Speak out against Walmart's cruel practices on Twitter. #walmartcruelty Write Walmart and tell them to ban the sale of crated pork now.

CAGE CRITICS "[G]estation crates for pigs are a real problem. … Basically, you're asking a sow to live in an airline seat. … I think it's something that needs to be phased out." Dr. Temple Grandin, PhD "[In gestation crates, pregnant pigs] are unable to move forward and back, nor side to side. … Part of the cruelty inherent in the gestation crate system is its denial of all natural social and maternal behaviors in this highly intelligent social species." Dr. Holly Cheever, Veterinarian "[The use of gestation crates is] arguably the worst practice in confinement agriculture. I fully expect that, in a few years, we will see the end of the use of such crates everywhere in the civilized world." Dr. Bernard E. Rollin, PhD "[Gestation crates are] metal crates so small that the sows cannot even turn around or assume normal bodily postures, causing them to develop stereotypic behaviors including banging their heads against the metal crate bars. … It should be noted that gestation crates have been deemed so inherently cruel that they have been outlawed in Europe and several states in the United States." Dr. Armaiti May, Veterinarian "The sows are kept in crates so small that they cannot turn around or move from side to side. This intense confinement causes severe psychological and physical stress and is unconscionable." Dr. Lee Schrader, Veterinarian "Gestation crates are notoriously cruel, and are one of the most highly contested practices in the commercial pork production industry. … Sows in gestation crates have weaker bones and muscles than those who are able to walk and exercise, they often suffer from urinary tract infections, and they display more abnormal, stereotypic behavior, such as repetitive bar-biting compared to sows with more freedom of movement and an enriched environment." Dr. Sara Shields, PhD "Pregnant sows are kept in narrow crates, so small that they can't even turn around. … These stalls cause intense stress on the sow. Pigs repeatedly bang their heads on the crates and gnaw on the bars out of boredom, stress and anxiety." Dr. Lorelei Wakefield, Veterinarian "It is an unremitting hell on earth. These intelligent animals endure awful physical and psychological suffering. No animal ever deserved to be treated like this." Dr. Jonathan Balcombe, PhD "Confinement of sows during pregnancy, especially in individual stalls or on tethers, can be cold, uncomfortable and injurious, and imposes severe restrictions on natural behaviour." Dr. John Webster, Veterinarian "After reviewing the literature, visiting production facilities, and listening to producers themselves, the Commission believes that the most intensive confinement systems, such as… hog gestation pens… prevent the animal from a normal range of movement and constitute inhumane treatment." Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production "Gestation stalls, particularly when used in conjunction with feed restriction, may adversely affect welfare by restricting behavior, including foraging, movement, and postural changes. … Other factors contributing to poor welfare in stalls and small, unbedded pens include lack of exercise, lack of environmental complexity, lack of rooting/chewing materials, and an inability for the sow to exert control over her environment." American Veterinary Medical Association "When sows are put into a very small pen, they indicate by their behavioural responses that they find the confinement aversive… inactivity and unresponsiveness indicates abnormal behaviour, the sows may well be depressed in the clinical sense and poor welfare is indicated." Scientific Veterinary Committee of the European Commission

REGIONAL BANS The following countries and states have banned the use of gestation crates.



ARIZONA CALIFORNIA COLORADO FLORIDA MAINE MICHIGAN OHIO OREGON RHODE ISLAND AUSTRIA BELGIUM BULGARIA CROATIA CYPRUS CZECH REPUBLIC DENMARK ESTONIA FINLAND FRANCE GERMANY GREECE HUNGARY IRELAND ITALY LATVIA LITHUANIA LUXEMBURG MALTA NETHERLANDS POLAND PORTUGAL ROMANIA SLOVAKIA SLOVENIA SPAIN SWEDEN UNITED KINGDOM NEW ZEALAND AUSTRALIA

RETAILER BANS The following major retailers have committed to phasing out gestation crates from their pork supply chains.





















APPRECIATING PIGS Pigs Deserve Our Compassion





When given the chance, pigs exhibit exceptional levels of intelligence. Pigs are highly social animals with considerable learning and problem-solving abilities. According to Dr. Donald Broom at Cambridge University, pigs "have the cognitive ability to be quite sophisticated. Even more so than dogs and certainly [more so than] three-year olds." In gestation crates, pigs are deprived of all mental stimulation. Many pigs are driven mad from boredom, depression, and stress, and exhibit stereotypical neurotic behaviors like bar biting or banging their heads against their cages. In nature, pigs are social, playful, protective animals who bond with each other, relax in the sun, and cool off in the mud. Pregnant pigs will find a quiet, secluded place to build a soft nest where they can care for their piglets. Pigs also love to dig with their snout in the soil, looking for tasty roots, tubers, and other underground treats. On industrial farms, pregnant pigs in gestation crates are unable to turn around, walk, play, lie down comfortably, or do nearly anything that comes naturally to them. Many pigs develop painful pressure sores and crippling leg deformities from the hard concrete and metal bars of their cages. Pigs are considered one of the smartest animals and they have extremely complex social lives similar to primates. If given the chance, many pigs sleep in cozy "pig piles" and love to cuddle with each other just like dogs do. Pigs are even known to dream! But conditions for pigs on factory farms are a living nightmare. Locked in tiny gestation crates, mother pigs are kept in a constant cycle of pregnancy and birth. They never get to cuddle with their piglets, who are taken away from them before they are even three weeks old.