This Iowa farm is among the 2,100 with which Murphy-Brown contracts in the United States.

On this contract finishing farm, pigs live in an environmentally controlled setting for their comfort.

Our animal care management program guides the care of our animals at every stage of their lives.

Animal Care

Smithfield aims to raise healthy animals by promoting their safety and overall well-being. Smithfield has a long history of industry leadership in responsible animal production. For example, more than a decade ago, we became the first pork producer to develop and implement a comprehensive, systematic animal care management program to monitor and measure the well-being of pigs on company-owned and contract farms.

Our Animal Care Goal

Keep our animals safe, comfortable, and healthy

Our Animal Care Targets

Remain 100% Pork Quality Assurance Plus (PQA Plus^®) compliant at company-owned and contract farms¹
Maintain PQA Plus certification for all suppliers and move toward site assessments
Complete conversion from individual gestation stalls to group housing for pregnant sows on company farms by end of 2017

¹ The wording of this target has been slightly revised from our previous report. Where “PQA Plus compliant” is used throughout this site, we mean that our farms have been site assessed and that specific employees have been certified according to PQA Plus program guidelines.

Our animal care management program guides the care of our animals at every stage of their lives, from gestation to transport to processing plant. All farm employees and contract hog producers must employ the methods and techniques of the management system, and we take steps to verify their compliance.

Smithfield Hog Facts at a Glance: Fiscal 2012

Number of domestic sows: 851,000
U.S. market hogs produced: 15.8 million
Primary breeds raised: Durocs (sires); Large White, crossbred with Landrace (females)

Photos

Group housing pens for sows at a Smithfield farm in Milford, Utah

At a Circle Four Farms facility near Milford, Utah, pregnant sows are housed in group pens. Following customer requests, the company made a decision in 2007 to convert all its company-owned sow farms to group housing for pregnant sows. Circle Four Farms is a subsidiary of Murphy-Brown, the first hog production company to announce a complete phase-out of gestation stalls at all company-owned farms.

Construction at a Smithfield farm in Waverly, VA as part of an effort to convert gestation stalls to group housing

Construction continues at a Murphy-Brown farm near Waverly, Virginia, as the company persists with its commitment to convert all of its gestation stalls for pregnant sows to group housing. Smithfield made a decision in 2007, in response to customer requests, to convert all its company-owned sow farms to group housing pens and 30% will be finished by the end of 2011.

Pregnant sows in group housing pens at a Smithfield farm in Utah

Pregnant sows at a Circle Four Farms facility near Milford, Utah, are housed in group pens. Circle Four Farms is a subsidiary of Murphy-Brown, the first hog production company to announce a complete phase-out of gestation stalls for pregnant sows at all company-owned farms.

"Open Pen" Group Housing

One type of newly-converted gestation housing is called “pen gestation.” In this system, sows are housed in small groups in one communal area. You can see a sow here taking a drink—our sows have access to as much clean water as they choose at all times.

Farrowing area

Our animal care committee visited the farrowing area of one of our Midwestern farms. This is where sows give birth and raise piglets until they are 23 days old, when they are weaned. The bar you see here helps to ensure that the sow doesn't accidentally injure her piglets by lying down on them.

Animal Care Committee Meeting

Our animal care committee is comprised of members from across our family of companies with varying areas of expertise related to animal care. They meet quarterly to discuss the care of animals on our farms and at our plants.

Progress being made at Waverly, VA farm as part of Smithfield Foods' transition to group housing pens

Workers at a Murphy Brown farm near Waverly, Virginia work on the company’s conversion from gestation stalls for its pregnant sows to group housing. In 2007 the company made a decision, in response to customer requests, to convert all its company-owned farms to group housing - 30% of Smithfield's sows on company-owned farms will be in group housing by the end of 2011.

Conversion from gestation stalls to group housing at a Smithfield farm in Waverly, VA

Murphy Brown employees at a farm in Waverly, Virginia, work on the conversion of a barn to group pens. Following customer requests, the company made a decision in 2007 to convert all its company-owned sow farms to group housing for pregnant sows - 30% of Smithfield's sows on company-owned farms will be in group housing by the end of 2011.

SEE MORE PHOTOS

Your email will receive a prompt response.

* Required

We will do our best to answer all respectful inquiries; however, we reserve the right not to answer inflammatory, profane, or off-topic questions. Smithfield Foods takes your privacy seriously. Please refer to our Privacy Policy if you have any concerns about the ways in which we use information submitted to us.

We value your input.

Your message has been received and we will do our best to respond within 1 week.