Wal-Mart praised for taking a stand on treatment of animals, use of antibiotics
NEW YORK — Wal-Mart’s push to get its suppliers to give farm animals fewer antibiotics and more room to roam is expected to have a big impact on the food industry, experts say.
Though the steps are voluntary, Wal-Mart, which sells more food than any other store, has a history of using its retail muscle to change the way products are made and sold across the retail industry.
Wal-Mart said it’s asking meat producers, eggs suppliers and others to use antibiotics only for disease prevention or treatment, not to fatten their animals, a common industry practice.
The guidelines also aim to get suppliers to stop using pig gestation crates and other housing that doesn’t give animals enough space. They’re also being asked to avoid painful procedures like de-horning or castration without proper painkillers.
Other major companies, including McDonald’s, Nestle and Starbucks, have already pledged to reduce or eliminate the use of gestation crates for pregnant sows and otherwise improve animal treatment. But activists hailed Wal-Mart’s steps and said its guidelines would be one of the most sweeping and could become the blueprint for the industry.
Concerns are growing that antibiotic overuse is leading germs to develop resistance to the drugs, making diseases more difficult to treat.
Shoppers are also driving changes. They want to know more about where their food comes from.
Wal-Mart said its own research showed 77 per cent of its shoppers said they will increase their trust and 66 per cent will increase their likelihood to shop at a retailer that improves the treatment of livestock.
Activists have reported animal abuse at farms supplying Wal-Mart and other major companies, launched petition campaigns and staged protests at its stores.
Kathleen McLaughlin, senior vice-president of WalMart’s sustainability division, said Wal-Mart wants suppliers to produce annual reports on antibiotic use and animal welfare and post them on their own websites. It’s also pressuring suppliers to report animal abuse to authorities and take disciplinary action.
Animal activists groups praised the steps but want more.
“This is a historic and landmark day for the protection of farmed animals in America,” said Nathan Runkle, president of Mercy for Animals, an animal rights group that has pressed Wal-Mart for change. “We urge Wal-Mart to add greater teeth to this announcement by making the new guidelines a requirement rather than a mere recommendation and to set aggressive deadlines.”
Still, Wal-Mart’s size — it accounts for 25 per cent of the U.S. food business — gives it outsized influence on its suppliers’ practices.
“We think what’s needed is a fresh look at how we can look at producing food. This is an industry-wide change. It won’t happen overnight,” Wal-Mart’s McLaughlin said.
Wal-Mart said it has adopted the “five freedoms” outlined by the World Organization for Animal Health to guide its approach to animal welfare. They include freedom from pain and injury and freedom to express normal behaviour.