Supermarkets

Most UK supermarkets source their own-brand pork, bacon, ham and sausage products from either British pigs or pigs reared to UK welfare standards. However there are two exceptions; Morrisons and Somerfield use British pigs (or meat produced to the UK welfare standards) only in their high quality ranges.

UK welfare standards ensure that pigs are not kept in sow stalls and that piglets are not castrated (although castration is not against UK law). However, UK legislation in no way prevents pigs from being born and reared indoors for their entire lives, nor does it outlaw farrowing crates, tail docking and teeth clipping (see ‘Animal Welfare’ section for more information).

Since 2000, Compassion in World Farming (CiWF) has been attempting to make the biggest UK supermarkets accountable for their farm animal welfare standards through an initiative called ‘Supermarkets and Farm Animal Welfare – Raising the Standard’. CiWF’s most recent supermarket survey (2007/08) revealed that the majority of supermarkets’ own-brand pig meat is intensively farmed with only a small proportion of pig meat coming from pigs that have been both bred and reared outdoors, even for part of their lives. Note too that supermarkets do not provide welfare information about branded pig meat.

Supermarket performance on the welfare of pigs

Pigs reared for slaughter

Indoor rearing: The majority of pigs used for supermarkets’ own-brand pig meat are born indoors and remain there, never going outside for their entire lives

Tail docking: Despite a ban on routine tail-docking, an estimated 88% of pig meat sold by supermarkets still comes from pigs that have been tail docked.

Teeth clipping and castration: A significant proportion of pigs reared for most supermarkets have their teeth clipped and/or have been castrated. While Co-op and M&S have significantly reduced the amount of pig meat from castrated pigs, Waitrose is the only supermarket not selling own-label pork from castrated pigs.

Bedding material: One third of pigs reared for slaughter for Co-op, M&S, Sainsbury’s and Tesco and over two thirds for Somerfield and Morrisons are not provided with bedding material. Waitrose is the only supermarket ensuring that all the pigs reared for its own-label meat are provided with straw or other suitable material.

Breeding sows

Sow stalls: At the time of the survey Somerfield and Morrisons were still selling a significant proportion of stall-produced pig meat under their own label and Sainsbury’s and Co-op a small proportion.

Farrowing crates: At least 70% of the pig meat sold by Asda, Sainsbury’s, Somerfield and Tesco comes from the offspring of sows kept in farrowing crates. Waitrose is the first supermarket to have all sows for own-label pig meat in outdoor farrowing systems without crates, while one third of Co-op and M&S pig meat is produced using this more humane outdoor system.

Bedding material: Despite EU law, most supermarkets allow a significant proportion of sows to be reared with no straw or any other manipulable material, including nearly half of sows for Tesco and Somerfield. Asda and Waitrose are the only supermarkets ensuring that all own-label sows are provided with straw.

Nose rings: All supermarkets surveyed (except Morrisons) kept some outdoor sows nose -ringed which prevents them from foraging and rooting

BEST SUPERMARKET: WAITROSE

One fifth of Waitrose’s own-brand pig meat comes from pigs which have spent their entire lives outdoors.

All of Waitrose’s own-brand pig meat is sourced from systems where sows are kept outdoors.

FURTHER READING

CiWF Supermarket Survey (information about the welfare standards of supermarkets’ own-brand meat and dairy products)

www.ciwf.org.uk/includes/documents/cm_docs/2008/s/supermarketsurvey2007.pdf

BPEX Quality Standard Mark (information about whether supermarkets’ own-brands are sourced from British pigs)

www.lookforthemark.co.uk