Graphic Abuse Of Pigs Caught On Tape

(AP)  An undercover video shot at an Iowa pig farm shows workers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods up into sows' hindquarters.

On the video, obtained by The Associated Press, a supervisor tells an undercover investigator for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals that when he gets angry or a sow won't move, "I grab one of these rods and jam it in her (anus)."

The farm, located outside of Bayard, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, is a supplier to Hormel Foods of Austin, Minn. PETA wants to use the results of the investigation to pressure Hormel, the maker of Spam and other food products, to demand that its suppliers ensure humane treatment of pigs.

Hormel spokeswoman Julie Henderson Craven on Tuesday called the abuses "completely unacceptable."

The animal rights group also planned to send the video to the sheriff in Greene County, Iowa, seeking prosecution of 18 people on animal cruelty violations. According to PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, the video shows eight people directly abusing animals.

"Abuse on factory farms is the absolute norm, not the exception, and anyone eating factory-farmed meat is paying to support it," Friedrich said.

After getting a whistleblower complaint from someone inside the farm, PETA sent two undercover investigators to get hired at the farm and document its practices - one from June 10 to Sept. 8, and the other from July 23 to Sept. 11.

At one point on the video, an employee shouts to an investigator, "Hurt 'em! There's nobody works for PETA out here. You know who PETA is?"

The undercover PETA investigator replies that he's heard of the group.

"I hate them. These (expletives) deserve to be hurt. Hurt, I say!," the employee yells as he hits a sow with a metal rod. "Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! Hurt! ... Take out your frustrations on 'em." He encourages the investigator to pretend that one of the pigs scared off a voluptuous and willing 17- or 18-year-old girl, and then beat the pig for it.

Records at the Greene County Assessor's Office show the property was owned by Natural Pork Production II LLP of Iowa until Aug. 18, and then was transferred to MowMar LLP of Fairmont, Minn.

Lynn Becker, an owner of MowMar, called the abuses on the video "completely intolerable, reprehensible. We condemn these types of acts. If any animals were abused in the brief time we've owned the farm, if we still employ these people, any attempt will made to investigate and initiate corrective action immediately."

Becker said his company provided animal welfare training to the staff when it took over the farm.

Natural Pork Production II referred questions to AMVC Management Services, which managed the farm under its ownership. Mark Jones, AMVC's network manager, said the video showed "unacceptable practices" and that his company is working with the new ownership to investigate.

Craven, the Hormel spokeswoman, said the farm became a Hormel supplier only after the change in ownership, and that MowMar "shares our commitment to animal welfare and humane handling."

Craven said it was her understanding that the abuses took place before the change in ownership. But PETA's Friedrich said the abuses continued, and that the new manager abused animals by shocking and kicking pigs.

Dr. Jennifer Greiner, a veterinarian and director of science and technology at the National Pork Producers Council, said the industry condemns "willful abuse" of pigs and that the video depicts acts that are not acceptable.

"Our industry is committed to handling pigs humanely," she said. "My industry is full of good people."

At one point in the video, workers are shown slamming piglets on the ground, a practice designed to instantly kill those baby pigs that aren't healthy enough. But on the video, the piglets are not killed instantly, and in a bloodied pile, some piglets can be seen wiggling vainly. The video also shows piglets being castrated, and having their tails cut off, without anesthesia.

Temple Grandin, a leading animal welfare expert who serves as a consultant to the livestock industry, said that while those are standard industry practices, the treatment of the sows on the video was far from it.

"This is atrocious animal abuse," Grandin said after PETA sent her the video. But she disagreed with PETA's contention that it was widespread in the industry.

"I've been on many good farms, and the pigs are handled gently," she said. "This was blatant, deliberate animal cruelty. These people are sick. They need to be prosecuted. There are certain people that enjoy hurting animals and they should not be working with them - period."

One of the PETA investigators, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to protect his ability to do further undercover operations, said there was a culture of violence on the farm, and working there was an emotionally and physically exhausting experience that typically involved working 12-hour shifts and walking 15 miles a day.

"So many times, it took all of my willpower not to step up and do something," he said, adding that he also saw the supervisor shove a cane into a sow's vagina. "I was just shocked. What do you say to that?"

[blakmira]

Judging from the majority of comments on here, this world is in a hell of a mess with cruel, apathetic people who were taught nothing as children in regards to compassion and empathy.

This is no joking matter. Perhaps some make fun because the subject of how that meat gets on their plate makes them uncomfortable deep down inside. They react with jeers and sick twisted humor to cover up the guilt and deflect the truth.

I quit eating animals 20 years ago when I saw how they were treated at slaughterhouses on a TV documentary. Before that, I just shrugged and thought "dumb cow/pig/etc., who cares??" It was only when I saw it for myself that I was able to see how wrong it was to inflict any hurt upon animals. I found a better way to eat (vegetarian/vegan) without hurting anyone.

In a more perfect world, high school students should be taken on field trips to slaughterhouses and shown the reality. I''m sure many would make the decision to stop eating animals when they saw the horrors involved. And there''s plenty of horrors even without the additional abuse shown in this particular video.

There''s no difference between a pet dog or a pig destined to become food with regard to emotions, suffering and feeling pain, the ability to love and have attachments to family, except that a pig has proven to have even higher intelligence.

Think about it. Imagine yourself having compassion and empathy.

[blakmira]

Judging from the majority of comments on here, this world is in a hell of a mess with cruel, apathetic people who were taught nothing as children in regards to compassion and empathy.

This is no joking matter. Perhaps some make fun because the subject of how that meat gets on their plate makes them uncomfortable deep down inside. They react with jeers and sick twisted humor to cover up the guilt and deflect the truth.

I quit eating animals 20 years ago when I saw how they were treated at slaughterhouses on a TV documentary. Before that, I just shrugged and thought "dumb cow/pig/etc., who cares??" It was only when I saw it for myself that I was able to see how wrong it was to inflict any hurt upon animals. I found a better way to eat (vegetarian/vegan) without hurting anyone.

In a more perfect world, high school students should be taken on field trips to slaughterhouses and shown the reality. I''m sure many would make the decision to stop eating animals when they saw the horrors involved. And there''s plenty of horrors even without the additional abuse shown in this particular video.

There''s no difference between a pet dog or a pig destined to become food with regard to emotions, suffering and feeling pain, the ability to love and have attachments to family, except that a pig has proven to have even higher intelligence.

Think about it. Imagine yourself having compassion and empathy.

[eggy1620]

When I read the headline I thought this was a story on sorority hazing.

[xmanborg]

Graphic Abuse Of Pigs Caught On Tape

PIGS dont like lipstick put on their lips only when a pig wants a make over is it OK to put Lipstick on a Pig. Stop the Abuse no more Lipstick on Pigs.

[celestial5]

It is not necessary to torture your food before you eat it. There is no reason on earth why these animals cannot have a good and comfortable life until the moment they are sacrificed for food. These creeps who want to torture them would also torture humans if they thought they could get away with it. Pain and suffering at the same regardless of who suffers it. These animal abusers have unnecessarily created hell on earth for these animals. I don''t believe in heaven, but they have proven the existence of hell. What amazes me truly is the dispassionate reponse of many of the posters here. The abusers at MowMar Farms should be imprisoned, and you dispassionate posters should wonder why you enjoy the suffering of others.

[cbsguest6]

Then stop doing this to your children...


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Posted by littlebuddyd at 08:05 PM : Sep 17, 2008

Get a clue.

[sfden]

Anyone who abuses an animal is one step away from abusing a human being.

[cbsguest6]

The employee''s caught on tape abusing these pigs need to be terminated from their jobs and training on ethical treatment of animals needs to implemented for those who deal directly with the animals. This kind of behavior is unacceptable.

[cbr68]

I will never understand how people who consider themselves civilized think it''s perfectly fine to intentionally cause pain to anyone or anything that is defenseless, helpless or weaker than they are. People like this are nothing but pathetic cowards, incapable of standing on equal ground with anything. It doesn''t matter if you think pigs don''t feel pain. What matters are the choices you make and if you make a consious choice to deliberately abuse and animal, or a person for that matter, you have proven you belong in jail. Laws are passed based on what the majority of the population wants. If you go against them, you pay the price.

[shelbi9]

Not all swine facilities should be stereo typed by these actions. And last I checked doctors do not use anesthesia to circumsize a new born baby. If we add any more regulations to the swine industries the price of pork will only go up even more than it has recently due to the extra provisions. Im sure China mistreats their swine in PETA''s eyes too! So lets make a mountain out of this and maybe we can get all our pork from China too!