McDonalds SA sets example for industry by adopting a more humane supply chain

Guse, together with the four animal protection organisations, Beauty without Cruelty SA, United Front 4 Animals (UFA), OWL South African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) and Animal Voice, the official South African representative of Compassion in World Farming, have been petitioning against McDonald’s SA since March 2016. To date, more than 18,000 people have supported the petition.

The ripple effect

The groups have stated that thanks to the example that McDonald’s SA’s has set, the ripple effect in the industry will force others to adapt to humane conditions in their supply chains as more and more consumers are becoming aware of what their purchasing power entails.

Prior to the South African announcement, 20 countries in Latin America and the Caribbean confirmed that they would be sourcing cage-free eggs by 2025 (for their McDonald’s franchises). This is over and above a similar commitment made by McDonald’s in the US and Canada, as well as all of the EU, Australia, and New Zealand.

Adds Guse: “We never purposefully only targeted McDonald’s SA. We just believed that if their international counterparts could make this commitment, they should do the same. And now they have. We realise it took tremendous effort and investigation and we’re proud that as an international franchise like them, they are taking a stand and setting an example by being humane to animals.”

Says Frank Molteno, Coordinator of SAFCEI's One Web of Life (OWL) programme: “We congratulate McDonald's on committing to a more caring, more responsible policy for the procurement of their eggs. McDonald's’ decision reflects that, along with so many people of faith and growing numbers of South African consumers, they care about the welfare and wellbeing of animals, our fellow creatures. We hope and pray that this more caring spirit will soon be evident in all of McDonald's’ supply chain policies. We look forward to others in the fast food industry being challenged by the example that has now been set and following McDonald's’ lead.

An opportunity for emerging farmers

“McDonald's’ announcement is good news not only for laying hens of the future but also for South Africa’s emerging farmers and for South Africa’s jobless. The adoption of cage-free policies by McDonald's and others will rapidly increase the demand for cage-free eggs and lead to new opportunities for smaller-scale, less capital-intensive chicken farms. This at the same time promises the creation of much-needed jobs where factory farms using battery cages employ minimal labour.”

Change withing the poultry industry

Adds Toni Brockhoven, spokesperson and National Chairperson for Beauty Without Cruelty: “While Beauty Without Cruelty does not encourage animal consumption, we do acknowledge the pledge made by a fast food giant, and we hope this will be the start of a serious and far-reaching change within the poultry industry, and pave the way for other fast food outlets to follow suit. We do look forward to McDonald’s SA’s actions in 2017 and the coming years, regarding their promise to ensure cage free products within a decade. Consumers can help to encourage the cage-free policy throughout the fast foods industries they support, by letting them know what they want. McDonalds SA is the first outlet to take a step in the right direction, and this is something of which they can be proud.”

The reality of battery cage living

Concludes Guse: “If people understood the reality of what battery cage living for hens really mean, they would be disgusted and outraged. That is why we were so passionate about this cause and refused to back down.”

Facts about hens and battery cages in South Africa:

• In South Africa, Woolworth’s has adopted a 100% cage-free egg policy. Cage-free and free-range eggs can also be found at Pick n Pay, Checker’s, and Spar nationwide.
• 46 million hens are raised in South Africa for eggs in 2015
• 95 percent of South Africa's eggs come from hens in battery cages
• 7 billion eggs are consumed in South Africa annually
• A battery cage is smaller than an A4 piece of paper
• Battery-caged hens can't do any natural behaviours such as flap their wings, perch or nest
• They get no sunlight or fresh air
• They suffer psychological stress
• Suffer from bone weakness, breakage, feather loss, disease, etc.