Animal rights group documents abuse of pigs at factory farm

WASHINGTON – An undercover investigator for an animals rights group recently documented on video harrowing abuse of pigs at an Oklahoma factory farm that supplies pork to Hormel Foods.

“It reveals baby piglets having their testicles viciously ripped out of their bodies and their sensitive tails cut off without the use of any pain relief,” said Mercy for Animals vice-president of investigations Lindsay Wolf during a press call on Tuesday.

“Stressed animals repeatedly biting the bars of their cages; a sign of serious mental collapse. Overcrowded hallways filled with piglets who have nowhere to move trampling each other in fear and mother pigs crammed in filthy barren crates unable to turn around or even lie down comfortably.”

Mercy for Animals is a Los Angeles-based nonprofit organization founded in 1999 that advocates for humane treatment of farm animals.

Wolf said gestation crates, which are narrow metal cages commonly used by pork suppliers to confine pigs, are inhumane and should no longer be used.

“Gestation creates are so inhumane that they have been banned in ten U.S. states, Canada, and the entire European Union,” Wolf said. “This is blatant animal abuse that Hormel shouldn’t be supporting.”

Wolf noted that Hormel is just one of many pork suppliers that engage in such practices.

“This isn’t a matter of a single factory farm failing to meet industry standards,” Wolf said. “This is a matter of industry standards allowing for blatant animal abuse.”

However, Wolf said many companies have decided not to purchase pork from suppliers who confine pigs in gestation crates.

“Recognizing their inherent cruelty more than 60 major food providers including McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy’s as well as grocery giants: Kroger, Safeway and Costco, have all demanded their … do away with gestation crates,” Wolf said.

Wolf said her organization is calling on Hormel to treat animals with dignity and respect.

“Mercy for Animals is calling on Hormel to immediately adopt meaningful animal welfare requirements on all of its suppliers to prevent egregious animal abuse including eliminating the use of inherently cruel gestation and farrowing crates and ending painful and unnecessary mutilation such as castration and tail docking without pain relief,” Wolf said.

Hormel Foods said in a statement that they were made aware of the video on Tuesday and are taking appropriate action:

Today, Hormel Foods was made aware of an undercover video taken at a
Maschhoffs farm. This farm is a supplier to numerous large food companies, including Hormel Foods. Animal stewardship, including the care and humane treatment of animals, is one of our most important values.

Hormel Foods has a strict supplier code of conduct and policies relating to animal care and welfare. We will not tolerate any violation of these policies. As such, we
have issued a suspension of all the Maschhoffs, LLC Oklahoma sow operations
while a thorough investigation is completed.

Hormel Foods Corporation has also dispatched certified third-party auditors
to these Oklahoma farms and to additional Maschhoffs sites to verify our
animal care requirements are being adhered to. We expect, and have been
assured, that the Maschhoffs, LLC will cooperate with the investigation.

As it relates to the use of gestation crates, Hormel Foods had made a commitment that its company-owned farm will be gestation crate free by 2018. We are pleased to report that this conversion will be completed in the next 30 days.

In addition, a key part of our Animal Welfare Advisory
Council’s charter is to understand and recommend animal welfare procedures
and practices that are in the best interest of the animals. This group will
continue to look closely at all industry practices for opportunities for
continuous improvement. We have a shared goal in this regard.

Maschhoffs’ spokesperson did not respond to a request for comment by the deadline for this story.

This article was republished with permission from Talk Media News