Today, Walmart shoppers and executives woke up to the second full-page ad taken out by Mercy For Animals in the Benton County Daily Record in Bentonville, AR–headquarters of the world’s largest retailer. MFA’s provocative ad gets right to the point, asking readers, “Do you support cruelty to animals?” and then declaring, “Walmart does.”
The ad focuses on the inherently cruel practice of confining pregnant pigs in narrow gestation crates–metal enclosures barely larger than the animals’ own bodies and so restrictive the animals can’t turn around, lie down comfortably, walk, play, or engage in other natural behaviors. Sadly, the inhumane practice is common on factory farms supplying pork to Walmart stores.
As the largest retailer in the world, Walmart has the power and the responsibility to phase out this outdated and abusive practice. Yet, Walmart is one of the few major retailers that have yet to implement a policy requiring its pork suppliers to phase out the cruel practice. More than 50 major food providers, including Walmart’s greatest competitors Costco, Target, Kroger, and Safeway, have committed to phasing out gestation crates.
Sadly, Walmart’s refusal to improve animal welfare should come as no surprise. Recently, a new report by Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare deemed Walmart one of the worst offenders when it comes to how the animals in its meat supply chain are treated.
See for yourself what life is like for pigs raised and killed for the pork sold in Walmart stores:
Please join MFA’s Walmart campaign today and ask the company’s executives Mike Duke, Bill Simon, and Doug McMillon to stop supporting cruelty to animals. Get involved at WalmartCruelty.com.
