Despite the intelligence of pigs, humans continue to mistreat and abuse these animals. But, through eating less pork and holding corporations accountable, we have the ability to give more power to these creature.
Prosperity for pigs
It’s a well-known fact that pigs are one of the most intelligent animals, even more so than dogs, so it’s baffling why humans continue to mistreat and abuse these creatures. More conscious meat consumers rely on the transparency from companies to help make their purchasing decisions. However, there are often many lies.
A recent 2021 lawsuit filed by the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) against Smithfield Foods, alleges that the corporation misled consumers about animal procedures in the supply chain, which violates the District of Columbia Consumer Protection Procedures Act. This ordinance prohibits deceptive business practices or representations. Smithfield, the world’s largest pork producer, lied about phasing out the use of gestation crates, a method that forces pregnant mother pigs to live in extreme confinement.
In an interview with VegNews, Matthew Penzer, special counsel for the HSUS Animal Protection Law department, said that “We’d prefer for Smithfield and other companies to treat their animals humanely, but with lawsuits like this, we can at least stop them from deceiving consumers when they don’t”. He summarizes the activists’ plight and reinforces that the organization is aware that it cannot fully stop the profiting off of these animals. The motion to dismiss the case was refused, which means the meat industry will have to follow its habit of lengthy opposition and prolonging the final conclusion until 2023.
I want to give more insight into the details of the factory farming of pigs, but knowing the animal is most important. In nature, pigs are social and often sleep huddled in groups together. They can recognize up to 30 other pigs and greet them by touching snouts. Their snouts are highly sensitive tools and can detect a variety of foods. Pigs are capable of learning complex tasks, perceiving time, and anticipating future events. At the very least, these creatures deserve our respect and we should treat them with such.
In the factory farming industry, animals aren’t provided with proper care because the system is designed to maximize “economic efficiency”, meaning practices that require less labor and expenses. The animals are no longer living beings, but money making machines.
Every year, over 105 million pigs are killed in the United States alone. They have it rough from the beginning of their lives after being taken from their mothers prematurely at about 3-4 weeks when normal weaning times usually take months. Breeding mothers, sows, are in a continuous cycle of impregnation and birth, with very little time in between their fourth month pregnancies. Sows are forced to produce over 20 piglets a year, all while being held in two foot wide gestation crates that only allow room for standing and lying down.
Piglets are then placed in barred pens where they will be separated for either breeding or meat production. Before reaching their overcrowded rooms, they undergo typical practices like castration, tail removal, and ear notching for identification. They are then kept in extreme confinement until they reach their desired weight, which typically takes upwards of six months. They often chew on the bars out of stress or boredom, but there are alternative housing options.
Turn around pens are not much bigger than gestation crates, but have one moving wall that lets the pigs turn around. Group housing can help the pigs to carry out natural behaviors because they’re in groups of up to several dozen. Free range gives them access to the outdoors and freedom to carry out usual habits like nest building and rooting. Pigs are actually very clean animals but are forced to live in unsanitary conditions.
We have the ability to give more power to the pigs. Eating less pork, or cutting it out completely, will help reduce the number of pigs in the production process. Demanding full transparency from companies and following trials like the one happening now to draw more attention to the cause. Large corporations aren’t treating living beings as they should, and need to be held accountable.