Canadian actor and director Ryan Gosling has teamed up with Farm Sanctuary and Humane Society International/Canada to improve the lives of more than one million breeding pigs on Canadian farms. Gosling has penned a piece in the Globe and Mail calling on the National Farm Animal Care Council to completely eliminate the use of gestation crates in the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Pigs.
Gestation crates are metal cages that tightly confine breeding pigs to the point where the animals cannot even turn around for nearly their entire lives. These cages are currently standard in pork production, but a new draft Code of Practice, released by NFACC on June 1, calls for a partial ban of their use. In its current form, however, the draft standard would allow breeding pigs to be immobilized in gestation crates for up to five weeks at a time every pregnancy cycle – adding up to nearly a third of their gestation period.
In his opinion piece, Gosling writes, “I applaud NFACC for working to improve life for Canada’s pigs, and hope it will close this dangerous loophole by disallowing the pork industry from confining pigs for weeks at a time–something that I would never dream of doing to [my dog,] George, and that no compassionate Canadian would ever do to any animal.”
Bruce Friedrich, advocacy director for Farm Sanctuary explains, “Cramming animals in crates for five weeks at a time is cruel, whether that animal is a dog or a pig, as Ryan’s Globe and Mail piece makes clear. We applaud Ryan both for the bond he has with George and also for extending his compassion to all animals.”
Sayara Thurston, campaigner for HSI/Canada states, “We encourage NFACC and Canadian producers to move the pork industry towards being a global leader in animal welfare, including a phase-out of gestation crate confinement during all parts of the animal’s pregnancy—a reform that Canadians and major retailers support.”
The new Code of Practice will take effect in 2014, at which time the construction of new gestation crate operations throughout Canada would be prohibited. These confinement systems have come under fire from veterinarians, family farmers, animal welfare advocates, legislators, scientists, consumers, and food retailers.
