Ryan Gosling has spoken out about keeping pigs in small cages in an article he wrote for The Globe and Mail.
“Currently, mother pigs are kept in these cages called “gestation crates” for four months while pregnant, moved to another cage to give birth, reimpregnated and put back into a gestation crate for the cycle to repeat," he wrote. "It adds up to years of immobilization and millions of smart, inquisitive animals relegated to iron maidens.
“The process has been criticized by veterinarians, animal protection advocates, consumers and even major food retailers as inhumane and unnecessary. Tim Hortons, for example, announced recently that it is working – alongside 60 other major food companies – to eliminate these cages from their supply chain entirely.
“Pigs in tiny crates suffer beyond anything most of us can easily imagine. They are unable even to turn around for weeks at a time, so that their muscles and bones deteriorate. And these extremely social and intelligent animals lose their minds from being denied any social or psychological stimulation at all.
“I applaud NFACC for working to improve life for Canada’s pigs, and I join Farm Sanctuary and Humane Society International in asking that it close this dangerous loophole by prohibiting the pork industry from confining pigs for weeks at a time – something I would never dream of doing to George, and that no compassionate Canadian would ever do to any animal.”
To read Ryan’s full article, click here.
