Tim Hortons Coffee has announced that the massive coffee chain will purchase ten percent of its pork and eggs from new suppliers. These new suppliers will provide ‘pregnant animal friendly’ housing and weening facilities.
In a bold, but fundamentally necessary move, Tim Hortons Coffee has stated publicly that they want their suppliers to stop using their current tiny gestation pens and congested henhouses to give the female pigs and hens a much better quality of life.
Paul House, CEO of Tim Hortons Coffee said in a statement, ‘We believe there are better, more humane and sustainable housing systems that can improve the quality of animals’ lives. Striking a balanced, realistic solution for the farming community, which will need to make significant investments in new buildings, is also essential, and we fully recognize this will take time.’
Surely the pork industry must now listen. But will they? If these tiny and teeming weening facilities produce the meat and eggs that consumers will readily eat without considering the animals welfare, why should they make the change?
At the end of the day, profit margins come first, a long way ahead of animal welfare.
I’ve seen videos of pigs being mistreated. These pigs were so appallingly abused before being slaughtered I could not watch the complete video. I had to switch it off. It took me months to shake those images from my mind.
As animal lovers, all we can do is keep pushing these issues with the powers that be. Whether it is the chickens in crowded hen-houses, pigs in slaughter houses or pregnant sows in those ridiculously cramped stalls, this animal abuse must be stopped.
From an original article printed in the Globapost.com. Read the complete article here – http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/business/120505/tim-hortons-coffee-giant-moves-animal-welfare
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