14 DAY TRIAL // Only yesterday, Mike Duke, CEO for Walmart, received one very heartfelt letter signed by several Hollywood celebrities. The message these celebrities wished to convey was quite simple: the retail giant is to no longer sell pork coming from animals that have been severely abused by producers, as this goes against basic humanitarian principles.
According to Look at the Stars, the letter was signed by Ryan Gosling, Kristen Bell, Zooey Deschanel, Tom Morello, Kim Basinger, David Boreanaz, Ed Begley Jr., John Francis Daley, James Cromwell, Steve-O, and Loretta Swit.
All of these celebrities spoke on behalf of the Mercy for Animals organization, whose past interest in this matter of animal rights had led to the discovery that Walmart suppliers are to be held responsible for not abiding by legal standards and for abusing the animals they are raising for meat.
Apparently, the celebrities believe that, precisely Walmart is US's largest retailer, it has the moral duty to make sure that its business agenda does not in any way contravene either human, or animal rights.
This is because any abuses committed on such a large scale are bound to seriously impact on society.
Moreover, the Hollywood sweethearts who sent this letter to Walmart's CEO make a case of how pigs are in fact smart and social animals – regardless of what the public opinion more often than not is about them – and that having them confined in cages, with no possibility to move or properly interact with one another, affects both their physical and their psychological wellbeing.
“We implore you to help end the needless suffering of these animals by ending the sale of pork from producers who confine pigs in cages so small they can’t even turn around for nearly their entire lives,” plead the celebrities.
Furthermore, “While Walmart tells its customers they can “Save Money, Live Better,” the pork sold in your stores comes from pigs whose lives couldn’t possibly be any worse. (…) Driven mad from boredom and stress, these poor animals have nothing to do, hour after hour, day after day, but bite the bars of their cages.”
Presently, there is no information with respect to how Mike Duke, Walmart's CEO, responded to this letter.