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Smithfield reaches a sow group housing goal

Smithfield Foods says it has achieved its sow group housing goals at all its company-owned farms in the U.S. The company says it has invested $360-Million dollars to do that, over 10 years, being the first company to commit to group housing systems in 2007.

Smithfield says it “recommends” all of its contract sow growers in the U.S. transition to group housing by the end of 2022. Outside the U.S., Smithfield says conversions have already taken place at its operations in Poland and Romania and its joint ventures in Mexico are working toward group housing systems toward that 2022 goal.

A 360-degree video is online to view one of those operations. In standard group housing, the video shows pregnant sows are in group housing with individual feeding stations 23 weeks a year.