Bozeman’s Walmart became quite the scene on Wednesday as protestors for the group “Mercy for Animals” showed up outside. These protestors weren’t alone. Along with signs spreading their message that Walmart tortures pigs, they also had a 10-foot-tall inflatable pig and it’s equally large inflatable gestation crate. (CLICK HERE to see a larger version of this photo from KBZK in Bozeman.)Walmart has not yet joined the group of restaurants and stores that are banning their pork suppliers from using these crates. That is what has the activists up in arms.
A gestation crate, also known as a sow stall, is a metal enclosure in which a female breeding pig may be kept during pregnancy. It’s important to note here that while not all of the pork industry uses such stalls, it is one management option.
Anne also reiterated that a lot of the changes that have come with modern pork production are to make it safer for the animal and to also ensure that the industry can keep producing the amount of pork our growing population needs.
According to the Mercy for Animals website, they’re taking it to a Missoula Walmart today.
© Northern Ag Network 2012
Haylie Shipp
