Source: Chris Scott, MEATINGPLACE, 12/7/15


Maple Leaf Foods has unveiled new guidelines designed to improve animal welfare at its pork and poultry processing plants, the company announced in a news release.

The Mississauga, Ont.-based meat company said its new imperatives will advocate for improved federal animal transportation regulations, establish annual independent auditing of future practices and implement video monitoring to deter future animal abuse at its plants.

Maple Leaf also has developed a three-year animal care strategy aimed at addressing such issues as environmental enrichment, the use of natural lighting, air quality and pain mitigation for poultry.

Maple Leaf also plans to commit to implementing controlled atmosphere stunning at all of its poultry facilities that should reduce what the company described as the “horrific suffering caused by shackling, shocking and slitting the throats” of conscious birds.
It also will transition all sows under its management to loose housing, converting  a minimum of 37,000 sows by 2017 and improve pain management during castration and tail docking of piglets by seeking alternative measures to the processes.

Canada’s largest meat protein producer also renewed its intent to reduce or eliminate the use of antibiotics in animals that are not sick and enhance on-farm poultry audits and making its reporting practices even more transparent.

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