By David Alire Garcia
MEXICO CITY, April 15 (Reuters) – Retail large Walmart WMT.N is among the many worst offenders in a brand new rating of firms in Latin America that promote eggs from caged chickens, a part of a brand new record of corporations from Mexico to Argentina that goals to encourage extra humane provide practices.
The brand new company rating from Mercy for Animals (MFA), a U.S.-based animal welfare group, evaluated 34 of the area’s largest egg sellers on their commitments to section out provides from caged chickens.
In addition to Walmart’s Mexican unit, which additionally operates in Central America, others flagged for failing to make or implement cage-free commitments embrace grocery store chain Soriana and conglomerate Femsa, which operates Oxxo comfort shops.
All three had been additionally criticized for missing transparency on their egg suppliers.
Walmart de Mexico and Femsa declined to remark, whereas Soriana didn’t reply to questions.
Cramming hens into so-called battery cages the place they’re unable to show round or flap their wings is normal trade apply, stated MFA Govt Director Leah Garces.
She added that hens are unable to train their pure intuition to perch or lay eggs in nests, and the ideas of their beaks are shaved off to reduce harm from pecking.
“It is complete, excessive animal struggling that is wrapped into every egg,” she stated in an interview.
MFA’s Latin America rating, based mostly partly on firm responses to a survey, additionally credit big-box retailer Costco and fast-food chain McDonalds for making progress on implementing cage-free provides.
The rating comes practically a decade after the European Union banned eggs produced from caged chickens citing animal cruelty, together with a number of U.S. states.
Mexicans eat extra eggs than some other nationality, or about 23 kg (51 lb) a yr, in keeping with the Worldwide Egg Fee.
Colombia, Argentina and Peru are additionally among the many high 10 egg-consuming nations.
(Reporting by David Alire Garcia; Further reporting by Daina Beth Solomon; Modifying by Stephen Coates and Toby Chopra)
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