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PIGGIES ARE FRIENDS NOT FOOD!!!
Most Australians are appalled by animal cruelty, yet are unaware that their supermarket purchases support one of the cruelest industries in the country.
Australia’s pig industry has been adept at keeping its secrets, knowing that many Australians would refuse to purchase pork, ham and bacon products if informed of the cruelty pigs endure in factory farms and during the slaughter process.
Pregnant pigs can be kept for their entire 4 month pregnancy in a tiny metal stall not much bigger than the size of their bodies. Nursing mothers are similarly confined. Unable to interact with their babies they watch helplessly as their piglets have their tails cut off and teeth clipped without pain relief. Male piglets are castrated without anaesthetic.
The ability of these intelligent and sensitive animals to suffer is no different to the family dog. Despite this, consecutive governments have provided legal exceptions to pig farmers to prevent them from being prosecuted for animal cruelty so that they can maximize their profits.
If you care about animals, refuse to purchase factory-farmed products. Even better: make the Pro Pig Pledge! Refuse to support animal cruelty and help create a kinder world.
Although your blog comments have good intentions, you are clearly uninformed about farm procedures. I don’t mean to be rude, but as a pre-veterinary student (I love and respect all animals), I feel like it is my duty to explain the procedures that you describe. And yes, pigs are my favorite livestock animal. Farmers are not being “cruel” to their animals by performing these procedures.
Piglets are cute, yes, but they are also very curious, and the reason their tails are cut off is so their fellow mates won’t chew on them. The piglets see this pink things wiggling in their faces, and think, “yay chew toy!” The affected piglet could then be susceptible to infection, or to other piglets also chewing on the tail. Because pigs are by nature omnivores, the smell of the blood can cause the piglets to get in a tizzy, and they may become more aggressive towards the bleeding and injured piglet.
The reason for clipping the teeth is also for their own safety, and for the safety of momma. Have you ever felt the needle teeth of a piglet? They can slice your finger right open. Would you like it if you had a nursing child, and every time you nursed, it bit you? I think not. If momma pig is bitten and sliced by the piglet’s teeth, she will be less inclined to nurse them, and therefore the piglets can become malnourished.
Gestation crates are used to protect the sows from each other. The pregnant sows can be attacked by the more aggressive sows, be prevented from feeding, and otherwise stressed, which then puts stress on the babies. It also allows caretakers to give special attention to each sow, and an easier ability to monitor health, food/water intake, and give any necessary medications.
And the nursing crates are for the piglets protection. Momma will sit on, crush, and sometimes cannibalize her young. Also, it provides safety for the caretakers, as sows can be extremely aggressive creatures, and may attack someone in a free pen situation. It seems wrong to us as cuddly humans, but there is a purpose.
As for the lack of anesthetic, it would be just as stressful to give the anesthetic as it would to just do the procedure. If you give the anesthetic, you must capture the piglet, give the dose (which would be a shot to the gum, a nerve block to the tail, and much more extensive for the castration. Then you would need to return the piglet to the crate to let the anesthetic start working. Then you must catch the piglet again. For most of this, it is the capture and restraint that is the most difficult and stressful for the animal.
I hope this helps explain what seems to be “cruel and unusual punishment” for the piggies. The idea that farmers commonly mistreat their animals is a wide-spread lie. If an animal is in pain, or is mistreated, they will not produce properly, and therefore would cause a decrease in farm production.
Thank you for your time..
Lisa
Thanks Lisa!
For your time and insights
Thanks for reading
BTW - cute video!!
Where are you from?
Australia?