Six months after BRF, Brazil’s largest pork producer, said it will phase out gestation crates, Seara, Brazil’s second largest pork producer owned by JBS S.A., announced it will be gestation stall free by next year.
According to the company’s annual sustainability report, Seara has been investing in new projects and in adaptations to increase the use of collective housing, which is currently 40% of its supply chain.
“In addition, new projects or expansions are being built under these new standards and the company will invest to fully adequate its own hog production by 2016,” the company said.
JBS said it will continue to support its partners in the adaptation process to an open housing environment as required.
“The Company is prepared to meet specific demands from its customers and is working to adapt all processes in order to ensure quality, without inflating costs to products and to society, while maintaining feasibility of its suppliers.”
The move is also likely in response to last year’s announcement by Arcos Dorados, the largest McDonald’s franchise in Latin America and the Caribbean, that all of its pork suppliers would need to submit documented plans by the end of 2016 to limit the use of gestation crates for sows with plans for alternative group housing.
