The animal rights group Mercy for Animals is targeting Walmart stores throughout the state for the use of 'gestation crates' in the processing of pigs for the production of pork sold in their stores.

National campaign coordinator with Mercy for Animals, Phil Lutton, says 'the hidden cost of Walmart's cheap pork products is blatant cruelty to animals'. He says his group is committed to getting Walmart to phasing out the use of gestation crates.

Lutton says other grocery outlets like Costco, Kroger and Safeway have outlawed the use of gestation crates, and he is asking Walmart to follow their lead.

Along with holding signs protesting Walmart policies, Lutton and two other individuals displayed an inflatable sad-eyed pig, flecked with bloodstains portrayed inside a gestation crate.

Lutton says Walmart officials are dragging their feet in talks to ban the practice. He says Walmart needs to get in step with other pork producers and eliminate the use of gestation crates.

Mercy for Animals campaign coordinator Phil Lutton

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