The Good News​

By aligning with Prop 12 and Question 3 standards, Costco is setting a gestation crate-free goal for sows in its U.S. supply chain. These standards allow for crates only when needed for the sow’s health during gestation and limit that time to no more than 6 hours in a 24 hour period and not more than 24 hours in any 30-day period. Costco is the first mainstream retailer to align its pig welfare goals with these goals.
Costco is working to make good on its promise to reduce confinement time, buying from more forward-thinking pork producers. Clearly, it is a positive step that Costco has achieved Prop 12 standards for 34.7% of its Kirkland fresh pork in the United States. But that still means nearly two-thirds of Kirkland pork comes from suppliers that confine pigs for six weeks or more. And we know nothing about the extent of gestation crate usage for other brands of pork sold by Costco. We encourage Costco to build up these relationships, be transparent about its progress,  and continue reporting progress against their stated goals.