Prima Meat Packers Ltd.- Their first step towards Gestation Crate Free

It’s a big step for a pig producer in Japan to decide they no longer use sow stalls. 

We confirmed Prima Meat Packers decided to go sow stall free for their new buildings as well as the existing facility when they renovate it in the future. Prima Meat is planning to build a new swine facility in Miyagi prefecture. This facility will be the first one to implement a sow stall free system in Japan equivalent to EU standards. 

There are pig farms with some sow stall free houses. However, this is especially notable since Prima Meat is one of the biggest companies in Japan. We hope this will be the first step towards sow stall free in this country.

Unfortunately, Prima Meat Packers have not made any promise to go sow stall free yet. Per our standards, they recently  stated they’d “consider” going sow stall free or to partially discontinue sow stalls. We will keep pushing them to go completely sow stall free in all of their facilities in a gradual process. However, the number of sows kept in stalls is still increasing in Japan

The number of pigs kept in stalls still increases

Stalls are still installed in new facilities in Japan. 

If they install new stalls now in 2020, some companies may continue to use them for about 30 years, meaning till 2050. By 2025, most major pig farmers in the world are expected to go sow stall free. Japan is a country where milk cows are tied all day long though the world has discontinued this practice so it wouldn’t be surprising if it became the case. “Japan still utilizes sow stalls in 2050” — We should not let that happen. But, Japan is how it is. There is no consideration about animal welfare, no laws to enforce it, and the legislation is not held accountable. Keeping pigs in groups is recommended by the OIE Standards on Animal Welfare. The care and handling guideline of pigs for animal welfare referenced by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries also recommends raising pigs in groups as well. 

Send your voice to your supermarkets, Co-op, delivery companies, restaurants, and hotels to request not to use pork from farmers using sow stalls.

If producers hear consumers’ opinions, they will switch to stall-free practice because they will get benefits from animals who become truly like animals in their natural state. 

Regulations on Stall Free 

Translated by Seika K