Niman Ranch Honored with Good Sow Commendation from Global Animal Welfare Leader Compassion in World Farming

The Prestigious Good Farm Animal Welfare Award Recognizes Niman Ranch’s 100% Crate-Free Humane Animal Care Commitment

PARIS, FRANCE (November 4, 2024) — Premium U.S. meat brand Niman Ranch received the Good Sow Commendation from international animal welfare leader Compassion in World Farming at the 2024 Good Farm Animal Welfare Awards ceremony held in Paris, France. Niman Ranch, well-known for its antibiotic-free, Certified Humane® meats and support of independent family farmers, was one of only two U.S. brands to receive this honor.

Compassion in World Farming’s Good Sow Commendation stipulates rigorous standards to receive the award including requiring 100% gestation and farrowing crate free systems, extra space and deep bedding allowing mother pigs to exhibit their natural instincts, and verification processes to ensure compliance. Niman Ranch’s protocols stand in stark contrast to the pork industry’s conventional practices where pregnant pigs are confined for weeks and even months at a time in crates barely larger than their bodies that restrict their ability to even turn around.

“The intensive confinement of mother pigs across the United States is one of the worst housing systems in modern farming practices. Luckily, there are farmers who are taking a stand and allowing this intelligent animal to express her natural behaviors,” shared Julia Johnson, the US Head of Food Business at Compassion in World Farming. “Niman Ranch is an exemplary company, putting animals and farmers first, which in turn has financial, local and ecological benefits. Simply put, Niman Ranch allows a pig to be a pig. Compassion in World Farming is proud to call Niman Ranch a partner in building a more humane world for animals.”

Niman Ranch has been crate-free since Iowa pasture hog farmer Paul Willis launched the pork company in the late 1990s. Paul was always passionate about humane animal care, so much so that he worked with the Animal Welfare Institute to develop the country’s first hog production animal welfare standards and certification. As demand for Niman Ranch pork has grown over the years, more farmers following the brand’s rigorous animal care protocols have joined the program. Today, more than 500 hog farms across the country partner with Niman Ranch.

“This award is a testament to the extra care Niman Ranch’s network of family farmers put into raising their animals. It’s not the easiest way to raise pigs, but it’s the right way to raise pigs,” said Paul Willis. “I thank Compassion in World Farming for this recognition and their tireless work to support the humane treatment of animals.”

In addition to Niman Ranch’s celebrated animal care practices, the brand is a leading voice for U.S. animal welfare policies including California’s Proposition 12 and Massachusetts’ Question 3. These two state laws ban the sale of certain pork products in the states sourced from farms using gestation crates. Niman Ranch is 100% compliant with both laws and proves every day that raising pigs crate-free is not just possible, it can be profitable and more pleasant for pigs and farmers alike. Niman Ranch submitted an amicus brief to the U.S. Supreme Court in support of Proposition 12 and has helped catalyze others in the industry to oppose the highly controversial Ending Agricultural Trade Suppression (EATS) Act inclusion in the next Farm Bill, which would overturn the California and Massachusetts animal welfare laws.

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Niman Ranch is a network of more than 600 independent family farmers and ranchers who raise pork, beef and lamb traditionally, humanely and sustainably to deliver the Finest-Tasting Meat in the World®. Niman Ranch is the largest farmer and rancher network in North America to be Certified Humane®.  The protein of choice for America’s most celebrated chefs, Niman Ranch is also the premier option for discerning home cooks looking for meats Raised with Care®, with no antibiotics or added hormones—ever. Follow Niman Ranch on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.