Raise Pigs Right

Given the choice, pigs would spend hours exploring, playing and rooting around foraging for food. But on factory farms, they are prevented from doing this.

Supermarkets hold the power to create better lives for pigs. Sign our open letter to Tesco to take action to improve the lives of pigs in factory farming - or read on to find out more about our campaign to Raise Pigs Right.

An Open Letter to Tesco Group

Tesco you are going back on your own words.

“Customers expect great products and also expect us to take animal welfare seriously when sourcing these products.” Tesco Group position statement. 
 
How can you be taking animal welfare seriously while letting pigs suffer on intensive farms providing pork for your stores?

Your customers want you to end the pain and suffering for pigs

Intensive pig farming is cruel. Pigs are born and raised on concrete floors in cramped, barren, dark and squalid conditions. Pigs need to root around, explore and play to lead good lives, but they are being deprived of all this on factory farms. Without this, pigs become stressed, bored and aggressive and out of pure frustration resort to biting other pigs’ tails. The quick fix is to cut their tails off in their first week of life, causing intense suffering, yet it does not stop tail biting.

Tail cutting is happening worldwide on farms, it’s a traumatic experience that has lasting consequences for pigs and for people too. 

A health threat for people

A huge proportion of antibiotics worldwide are used in intensive farming because the basic welfare needs of animals are not met. The overuse of antibiotics is contributing to the global antimicrobial resistance crisis putting the health of everyone on the planet in danger.

This is because stress reduces the immune system of pigs. To fight potential infections from tail cutting and biting antibiotics are needed, contributing to excessive use.

Tesco, it doesn't have to be this way. If piglets are given natural materials like straw or similar materials to explore and chew, suitable objects to play with, and good housing and management they are less likely to start biting other pigs, reducing the risk of infections and the use of antibiotics.

Tesco, you are the solution

Tesco you are a global company and the largest supermarket chain in Thailand and the UK.

Routine tail cutting is banned in the UK. Yet over 70% of pigs are still having their tails cut off on factory farms. Tesco you acknowledge the practise of tail cutting needs to be reduced in your own policy.

Tail cutting and the overuse of antibiotics is practiced throughout Thailand, where you have over 2,000 stores. 

Your customers expect you to lead the way. You must deliver on your pledge to take animal welfare seriously by committing to raise pigs in good environments with natural enrichment and bedding materials, and end tail cutting across your global supply chain. 

Pigs deserve a good life no matter where they are in the world. Your customers agree. Please take action now and Raise Pigs Right!

Sign our open letter

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Factory farming: the facts

Pigs on factory farms are kept in cramped, barren, low welfare conditions and often subject to painful mutilations. These poor conditions mean pigs get bored and frustrated and can eventually become aggressive, biting other pigs’ tails. 

Their tails are cut off when they are piglets as a quick fix to stop tail biting. This procedure is a traumatic and painful experience.

All these mutilating practices cause stress, which reduces immunity and makes disease and infection more likely. When pigs are ill they fail to reach their slaughter weight fast enough, reducing profits. As a result factory farms routinely overuse antibiotics to prevent stressed animals living in low welfare conditions from becoming sick.

Superbugs (bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics) can emerge on farms when antibiotics are overused. Illnesses and diseases that can no longer be treated by antibiotics can be transmitted to workers, the local environment and into the food chain. Superbugs are a threat to the health of people and animals and mean that many infections will become harder or impossible to treat in the future.

We want supermarkets to give pigs a better life. 

Research has shown that giving pigs objects to play with, or putting materials such as straw in their pens so they can explore and forage, reduces boredom and frustration, which makes it much less likely they will start biting each other's tails.

Supermarkets hold the power to create better lives for pigs. Pork is big business, with supermarkets spending millions each year buying pork from factory farms.

We’re demanding well-known supermarkets, here in the UK and around the world, make a promise to only sell pork from pigs reared on farms with higher welfare practices that Raise Pigs Right. 

We want supermarkets to make a public commitment that states they will stop sourcing pork from farms that routinely cut off pig's tails, in whatever country the farms that supply them are located.

Watch our film and read our report about our pig farm investigation in the UK and Thailand and learn how you can take action to help give pigs all around the world better lives.

Sign our open letter

Suffering behind closed doors: low pig welfare and antibiotic overuse in Tesco Group pork supply

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