Smithfield applauds Walmart’s view on antibiotics
Smithfield Foods says it supports Walmart in its new position on animal welfare and antibiotics. Smithfield is “already compliant with the newly announced policies on its company-owned farms and encourages the rest of the industry to develop programmes consistent with these guidelines.”
Smithfield ceased using human-grade antibiotics for growth promotion in its pigs on company-owned and contract farms more than two years ago. This move voluntarily aligned Smithfield with the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) guidelines 209 and 213 years ahead of schedule.
Antibiotic resistance a public health concern
“We understand that potential antibiotic resistance is a public health concern, and that’s why we are leading the pork industry in ensuring the responsible use of antibiotics within our operations,” said C Larry Pope, Smithfield’s president and chief executive officer.
In addition, back in 2007 Smithfield Foods was the first in its industry to announce that it would transition pregnant sows to group housing systems on its company-owned operations in the US. The company reported that as of December 2014, more than 71% of its pregnant sows on company-owned farms had been transitioned to group housing. The project should be completed by 2017.
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