The Realities Of Pig Farming
Pigs are highly intelligent animals and many experts believe that their intelligence is equal to, or greater
than, that of dogs. As well as intelligence they have sensitivity to their living conditions. Like us, they need
food, shelter, exercise, stimulation and love.
One pig who has been taken into a home is the famous pig, "Esther". She lives in Canada with two humans who
adopted her and then became vegans because of their love for her. To view this loving tribute to the life of
"Esther the Wonder Pig" and her human companions, please see the following video:
But alongside this moving story of compassion there are hundreds of factory farms in the United States that are
turning over 100 million pigs into bacon and ham each year. How can they do this when each one of these
sensitive animals is an Esther with the capacity to love, feel, and give?
There is an effort in the agricultural business to portray themselves as family farmers like the farm described
in Charlotte's Web, with sunny outdoor conditions for the animals and fields of green grass. If you look on the
containers for butter and milk and you will see these happy pictures. However, this is a purposely created and
false illusion. Individually owned farms, known as "family farms", produce a small percentage of food animals
such as cows, pigs and chickens. Most come from factory farms which are large, corporately-owned industrialized
operations that raise billions of animals each year to sell for slaughter.
On most factory farms, mother pigs spend the majority of their lives in "gestation crates" approximately 7 feet
by 2 feet - too small for them even to turn around. Internationally acclaimed professor Temple Grandin of
Colorado State University states that "...basically you're asking a sow to live in an airline seat". A few
states (Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio, Oregon and Rhode Island) have banned
these crates but the majority of states still allow them.
At just two to three weeks old, piglets are removed from their mothers and placed in large, windowless sheds
without fresh air, sunlight or outdoor access.Then this cycle is repeated for several years until the sows can
no longer produce and are sent to slaughter. What kind of life is this?
Europe is far ahead of the United States in its treatment of pigs and other farmed animals. The European Union
has passed what are known as the "Five Freedoms" for farm animals:
Freedom from hunger and thirst - access to fresh water and a diet for full health and vigor.
Freedom from discomfort - an appropriate environment with shelter and a comfortable rest area.
Freedom from pain, injury and disease - prevention or rapid treatment.
Freedom to express normal behavior - adequate space and facilities, company of the animal's own kind.
Freedom from fear and distress - conditions and treatment which avoid mental sufferings.
Why can't we do that here? It is commonplace for farm associations to deride suggestions from people who haven't
been raised in farming communities. How can you know what it's really like, they ask. In return I ask this
question: if factory farmers are so anxious to have the "real" picture conveyed, why are they so resistant to
letting us know what's going on in their premises? Why are there laws in eight states, known as "Ag-gag laws"*
and strongly supported by the pork producers, to ban the taking of pictures on their premises if there is no
cruelty?
In this story I have described love and cruelty, two opposites that exist in our treatment of pigs. Which will
you choose?
For more on this subject, please consult the following websites:
Second, support bills at the local, state and federal level which would limit antibiotic use to sick animals.
Write or call your legislators and tell them that you support such bills.- Larry
For a deeper analysis of this critical issue, please see the following websites:
Factory Farms and Family Farms
Wikipedia on Gestation Crates
Pigs On Factory Farms / ASPCA
European Treatment of Farm Animals
Vegetarian Alternatives
My essay on these laws