Undercover Video Gives the Dirt on Pigs in Factory Farms

[BridgeTheGap]

You might not want to have a ham sandwich for lunch today.

A new undercover video showing gruesome conditions in which pigs are kept at an Iowa factory farm (emphasis on the “factory”) has hit the web, courtesy of the advocacy group Mercy for Animals (MFA). Representatives of MFA will officially present the graphic footage Wednesday during several press conferences, beginning around 11 am EST. Before you tell yourself this has nothing to do with you, take note: MFA has linked this particular pork producer to four major U.S. food retailers, all of which sell meat raised in that factory farm.

Arguably, the most disturbing aspect of the video — shot by an undercover MFA investigator who was hired as an employee — is that what we see isn't technically illegal under federal or state law. At least some of it is actually considered “standard” in the pork industry.

Meanwhile, Iowa — the nation's top pork-producing state — currently has a bill on the table that would outlaw the production, possession and distribution of videos, pictures, and other “recordings” of farms taken without the owner's consent. Other states also introduced, but didn't pass, similar bills this year. Among them was a New York measure banning farm photography; it was ostensibly related to terrorism concerns.

Read more: http://newsfeed.time.com/2011/06/29/undercover-video-gives-the-dirt-on-pigs-in-factory-farms/#ixzz1Qfh7RRM8

[Kolesar]

1. Oatmeal, sesame seeds, pecans, garbanzos

That is where I got my protein today.

[aikoaiko]

2. Make and enforce good laws and regulations, and enjoy the bacon

:)

[cyberswede]

3. In Iowa, they are trying to outlaw videos like this

I kid you not - the legislature is trying to pass a law that will make undercover filming at animal processing facilities illegal.

http://www.globalanimal.org/2011/04/09/iowa-bill-tries-to-silence-activists-take-action/36429/

DES MOINES, Iowa — Angered by repeated releases of secretly filmed videos claiming to show the mistreatment of farm animals, Iowa’s agriculture industry is pushing legislation that would make it illegal for animal rights activists to produce and distribute such images.

Agriculture committees in the Iowa House and Senate have approved a bill that would prohibit such recordings and punish people who take agriculture jobs only to gain access to animals to record their treatment. Proposed penalties include fines of up to $7,500 and up to five years in prison. Votes by the full House and Senate have not yet been set.

[liberalla]

4. "Pigs are very bouncy" ? WTH?

This was filmed at Iowa Select Farms, north of Des Moines.

Kroger and Costco both carry their products.

I knew it would be hard to watch. I don't understand why they kill the baby piglets? (they swing them by their back feet and slam their heads on the concrete floors to crush their skulls.) What's the point? Aren't they raising pigs to slaughter and sell? What cuts of meat come from dead baby pigs? And why is it "ok" or acceptable practice to slice/yank the tails off the babies, while they're alive and conscious? What do they use the tails for?

It all seems so cruel and unnecessary to me. I don't get it at all. I'm stunned.

Kroger has already responded saying they will no longer accept meat from Iowa Select Farms until they see results from a full investigation.



I'm calling Costco today and frequently thereafter regarding the pork products from this horrific Iowa factory "farm"...

[adigal]

5. Just like with dog shelters that euthanize that I deal with in the south

who the hell works at these places and how can they do what they do all day long?? I am starting to believe in reincarnation, it is the only thing that gives me any peace of mind, to think that these sub-humans will themselves be at the mercy of someone just like themselves.