Smithfield Foods Inc. announced that at the end of 2012 it had successfully transitioned 38% of pregnant sows on its company-owned farms in the United States from individual gestation stalls to group housing systems.

In the latest update, the company reported that it remains on track to finish its conversion to group housing on all company-owned farms in the U.S. by 2017. In 2007, Smithfield made a business decision to convert to group housing for pregnant sows on all company-owned U.S. farms based on input from its customers.

In addition, Smithfield said that its international hog production operations also will complete their conversions from gestation stalls to group housing on company-owned farms by 2022. Smithfield's hog production operations in Poland (AgriPlus) and Romania (Smithfield Ferme) completed their conversions to group housing facilities on company-owned farms a number of years ago. In addition, the company's Granjas Carroll de Mexico (GCM) and Norson joint ventures in Mexico are committed to phasing out gestation stalls on company-owned farms by 2022.

"We're proud of the commitments made by our international operations, and here in the U.S. we are continuing to make good progress toward our goal of phasing out gestation stalls for pregnant sows at all of our company-owned farms, as our 2012 conversion number reflects," said C. Larry Pope, president and chief executive officer of Smithfield Foods.

Source: Smithfield Foods Inc.