Dear Supporters,

Last month Costco updated its animal welfare policy. 

When it comes to the welfare of mother pigs, we’re increasingly optimistic that Costco is on track to have the best gestation crate policy of any mainstream grocer. 

Update: “Costco U.S. and Canada plan to source pork from suppliers utilizing only open-pen housing beginning in calendar 2023 for all fresh pork and Kirkland Signature cooler items, subject to supply chain capacity. There may be certain times during a sow's gestation period when she should be separated from the rest of the group. An example of this is the time between insemination and confirmation of pregnancy. Our goal over time is to minimize the time in confinement.”

Clearly, we are not done yet.  Our goal this year is to get Costco to reduce the confinement time for mother pigs waiting for pregnancy confirmation to TEN DAYS or less according to a public timeline. Major pork producers are already doing this so we know it’s achievable. 

You can help by contacting Costco. Thank them for listening and encourage them to keep moving forward.    

Costco members: 

• Call 1-800-774-2678  - Option #4.  Have your membership number handy. Once connected to a representative, introduce yourself. Use the script below as a guide or have your own polite conversation.​​​​​​
• Chat online. Hit the “chat us” button on the lower right of the page. 

Costco and NonCostco members:  

• Go to Costco.com.  Just click the “Feedback” tab on the right side of the screen or scroll to the bottom of the page and click “Feedback"
• Comment on Costco’s Facebook page

Sample script:  I read your recent animal welfare policy update, and want to thank Costco for its efforts to reduce the time pregnant pigs are confined in gestation crates. Right now Costco says its “goal over time is to minimize the time in confinement” for mother pigs waiting for confirmation of their pregnancies.  When can we expect Costco to be more specific on its plans for this? There are currently major producers that have reduced confinement to less than 10 days – so we know it is achievable. Hopefully Costco will team up with these producers and continue its work to help farm animals have a better quality of life.  

Thank you for your support ... we are making progress!

For the Animals,

Crate Free USA