Hotel Verde Commits to 100% Crate-Free Pork Supply Chain
SUMMARY – HOTEL VERDE COMMITS TO CRATE-FREE PORK SUPPLY CHAIN, JOINING GLOBAL INITIATIVE TOWARDS ANIMAL WELFARE AND RESPONSIBLE CONSUMPTION. HUMANE SOCIETY INTERNATIONAL/APPLAUDS THE COMMITMENT AND WILL CONTINUE SUPPORTING HOTEL VERDE AND OTHERS IN IMPROVING ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS.
Hotel Verde, located in Cape Town, South Africa, has made a significant commitment to sourcing pork exclusively from suppliers that do not confine pregnant pigs in crates. Hotel Verde’s decision to procure only crate-free pork is in line with a rising number of global organizations that have committed to the same. Following productive discussions with Humane Society International/Africa, the commitment from Hotel Verde is being warmly welcomed.
As the executive chef at Hotel Verde, Adrian Schreuder emphasizes the hotel’s dedication to sourcing and serving products of the highest welfare standards. Hotel Verde pledges to transition their entire pork supply to come solely from local farms. These farms do not use gestation crates for pregnant sows. This is in line with their animal welfare and sustainability policy. By the end of 2023, they aim to achieve a 100% implementation goal. Hotel Verde takes pride in collaborating with Humane Society International/Africa to ensure the successful implementation of this animal welfare policy.
The harmful effects of gestation crates on pregnant pigs
Gestation crates are commonly utilized on commercial farms to confine sows during their nearly 4-month-long pregnancies. The main purpose of these crates is to maximize profit by fitting as many animals as possible into a facility. However, this practice restricts pregnant pigs from expressing their natural behavior, leading to immense physical discomfort, injuries, and psychological stress. These steel gestation crates confine the sows so tightly that they cannot even turn around or extend their legs while lying down.
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By committing to a crate-free pork supply chain, Hotel Verde has earned praise from Candice Blom, a farmed animal specialist at Humane Society International/Africa. By adopting this policy throughout its supply chain, Verde contributes to the demand for higher welfare standards on piggeries. It aims to eliminate the use of cruel crates. Blom emphasizes that consumers are increasingly concerned about how animals are treated in food production systems and strongly oppose the inhumane confinement of sows in crates.
Hotel Verde joins a growing list of companies in South Africa and worldwide that are embracing responsible consumption policies. Notable examples include Marriott International, Hilton Worldwide, and Nestle, among others. In order to improve animal welfare in their respective supply chains, Humane Society International/Africa plans to work closely with Verde and other companies going forward.
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