Billionaire Carl Icahn blasts McDonald's over welfare of pigs used in food chain

Billionaire Carl Icahn, who is a shareholder in McDonald's, has expressed concerns over welfare of pigs in its food chain.

He has nominated two members to its board of directors in an escalating fight over the treatment of pigs by the burger chain's suppliers.

"Carl Icahn has nominated Leslie Samuelrich and Maisie Ganzler for the 2022 election," McDonald's said in a statement, adding that the board would "evaluate the nominees as it would any other candidates proposed to it."

Icahn's "stated focus in making this nomination relates to a narrow issue regarding the Company's pork commitment", it added, in a reference to the use of so-called gestation crates.

Icahn has previously said that it is "obscene" how the animals used for McDonald's products are treated.

Icahn has insisted on new McDonald's commitments, including requiring all of the company's USpork suppliers to move to "crate-free" pork, and set specific timeframes, the company said.

Such a commitment would be impossible given the current supply "and would harm the company's shared pursuit of providing customers with high quality products at accessible prices," the statement said.

According to the Humane Society, the metal enclosures,used to contain sows for almost all of a pregnancy,are so small that the animal cannot turn around, and can lead to health issues such as infection or anatomical problems.

Icahn is known for taking stakes in companies to ask for radical measures before reaping huge profits, but he has said animal welfare concerns are behind his intervention.

"I really do feel emotional about these animals and the unnecessary suffering," he told Bloomberg.

McDonald's pledged in 2012 to source pork from producers who do not use small crates to house pregnant sows. Icahn pushed for the change behind the scenes, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month.

"Since making this commitment, McDonald's has led the industry, and today an estimated 30%-35% of US pork production has moved to group housing systems," the company's statement said.

"By the end of 2022, the Company expects to source 85 percent to 90 percent of its US pork volumes from sows not housed in gestation crates during pregnancy," it added.

(With inputs from agencies)