Three more companies join the cage-free movement

Three companies have announced crate and cage-free commitments for their products in Latin America in January. In Brazil, after dialogues with Sinergia Animal and other animal protection organizations, both Bloomin’ Brands and Pamplona published crate-free policies to be applied to their supply chains. In Colombia, Hotel Vilar América announced that they will ban products with eggs sourced from battery cage systems from their menus.

Owner of world famous brands such as Outback Steakhouse, Abraccio, and Aussie Grill, Bloomin’ Brands committed to only work with pork suppliers that don’t confine the females in gestation crates. The transition to 100% group-housed systems is set to be fully completed by 2029. With more than a hundred restaurants in the country serving mainly pork meat, the company’s commitment will affect the lives of a considerable number of sows.

In a similar move, also in Brazil, Pamplona committed to improve their animal welfare standards and announced crate-free and other policies aiming at the welfare of pigs. One of the biggest pork meat producers in the country, the company announced, among other policies, that they will keep their transition to group-housing systems to be completed by 2026 in all of their current production. For all new farms or expansions, the systems will be pre-implantation, which means the pigs will not be confined at all during their pregnancy.

In Brazil, the vast majority of farms still use gestation crates, keeping female pigs in extreme confinement and isolation throughout their pregnancy period—from 28 days up to three months—preventing them from even turning around. Pigs are artificially inseminated around three times a year, which means that these animals spend most of their lives in individual and isolated crates.

In Colombia, Hotel Vilar América announced a permanent commitment to only use hens eggs sourced from cage-free systems. Located in Bogotá, the hotel company owns two restaurants, a catering service and free-range farm.

Sinergia Animal uses dialogue, negotiations and awareness campaigns to encourage major food companies to adopt cage-free policies in their supply chains.

This is a big advance that will impact the lives of thousands of animals in those countries! The confinement in cages can cause hens and pigs immense suffering and frustration throughout their whole lives.