SMITHFIELD, Va. – Smithfield Foods, Inc. has successfully transitioned 38 percent of pregnant sows on company-owned farms in the US from individual gestation stalls to group housing systems, the company announced Jan. 3.

The company said it remains on track to finish converting to group housing on all company-owned farms in the US by 2017. Additionally, Smithfield said its international hog operations are also on track to complete conversions from gestation stalls to group housing on company-owned farms by 2022. Smithfield's hog production operations in Poland (AgriPlus) and Romania (Smithfield Ferme) already completed conversions to group housing facilities on company-owned farms. Also, the company's Granjas Carroll de Mexico (GCM) and Norson joint ventures in Mexico are committed to phasing out gestation stalls on company-owned farms by 2022.

"We're proud of the commitments made by our international operations, and here in the US we are continuing to make good progress toward our goal of phasing out gestation stalls for pregnant sows at all of our company-owned farms, as our 2012 conversion number reflects," said C. Larry Pope, president and CEO of Smithfield Foods.

Watch an exclusive video of Dr. Temple Grandin addressing the controversial topic of gestation housing.