According to Business Insider, McDonald’s was supposed to phase out use of gestation crates for its pigs starting in 2012. These crates are used to keep reproductive cycles under tight control — in other words, to maximize the number of possible litters.
However, World Animal Protection says gestation crates are so small that the pigs can’t walk, let alone turn around. By making crates small, more pigs can be kept in a given space. Billionaire Carl Icahn called the situation obscene. “You got these companies making all this money and the animals are just suffering for no reason,” he said (via Bloomberg).
Icahn owns 100 shares in the company, says Tasting Table, so he has some say when it comes to the company’s board of directors. Needless to say, Icahn seems determined to have McDonald’s follow through on its promise. We can only hope McDonald’s will finally cut ties with its current supplier and clean up its business practices.
