Where’s the Pork Farmer’s Side of the Story?

Jul 24, 2012

Cosco Ban on Farrowing Stalls Driven by Activist Video

The power that animal activist groups have over agricultural consumer perceptions is alarming. Mercy for Animals (MFA) released a video of a sow barn at a Minnesota farm that went viral and now the second-largest retailer in the U.S. is calling for a ban to phase out farrowing stalls by the end of 2020.

It’s unfortunate that Cosco reacted without finding out the pork producer’s story about production practices – a side of that’s often missed. Minnesota Pork Producers Association spokesperson Dave Preisler provided a research based counter argument to the video released by MFA.

Farmers and industry professionals believe very strongly in animal welfare practices and Preisler was able to highlight the reasons why farrowing stalls are a standard industry practice. Research on animal welfare housing for pregnant sows have been ongoing for over 20 years and farrowing stalls have been designed to protect sows from lying on top of their piglets and attacking other mother sows. Consumers may be easily misled by videos, as most people don’t know what common pig behaviours are.

"Actually, we've done research work that when we let them out of the stall, they will -- on their own -- spend greater than 95 percent of their time in the stall. They feel secure there; it provides protection from other animals" says Preisler.

It’s important to remember that animal activist groups such as MFA try and evoke emotion and carefully edit videos out of context to support their clams of animal cruelty. Today, less than 2 per cent of the U.S. population are farmers, which means that most people are out of touch with where their food comes from and how their food is produced; making consumers and businesses such as Cosco an easy target for misinformed information.

Farmers are experts in their field and care about their livestock. To think that farmers are cruel to their animals is outrageous. If you have a question about how your food is produced or about on-farm practices speak to your local farm organization first before you jump onto the boycott wagon. Let’s engage in a constructive, informative fact based science driven discussion about animal welfare and stop condemning farmers.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.