Winn-Dixie: New Animal Welfare Plan
US - Five months after receiving a complaint from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), Winn-Dixie Stores has announced plans to improve farm and slaughter conditions for some chickens and pigs in its supply chain.According to Jacksonville Business Journal, a PETA news release reports that the Winn-Dixie Stores Inc. plans to give purchasing preference to suppliers that use or switch to controlled-atmosphere killing.
The grocery chain will begin buying 5 per cent of its turkeys from suppliers that use this method by the end of 2010.
It will give purchasing preference to producers of cage-free eggs, increase the amount of cage-free eggs that it sells to 4 per cent by the end of 2009 and 5 per cent by the end of 2010, and work toward reaching 10 per cent within the next five years.
In response to Winn-Dixie's plan, PETA has withdrawn its shareholder proposal calling for a report on progress made toward improving animal welfare practices, which it had submitted for inclusion at the company's 2008 annual meeting.