photo by Andrew Stawarz

In September, I posted very disturbing footage of an Iowa pig farm that supplies for Hormel. I still get tears in my eyes when I think about the pile of little piglets that were slammed onto the concrete floor, in attempts to kill them. PETA president, Ingrid Newkirk, has some hopeful news to report in regards to that investigation.

Dear Emily,

We have very important news. Last month, we told you about our new undercover investigation on an Iowa pig farm that breeds piglets to supply Hormel. Our investigation revealed that pregnant pigs were confined to barren gestation crates, beaten with metal gate rods, and kicked by farm workers. Workers were documented shocking pigs and spraying toxic paint around their eyes and up their noses, and one supervisor even raped a pig with a cane.

We are pleased to announce that the Greene County Sheriff stated in a news release yesterday that six individuals employed by the farm at the time of PETA’s investigation now face a total of 22 counts of livestock neglect and abuse.

Those charged include a former farm manager and a supervisor. Fourteen of the counts are aggravated misdemeanors—the stiffest possible charges under Iowa state law for crimes committed against farmed animals—and each carry up to two years behind bars. Such charges are unprecedented.

PETA is on the front lines, fighting as hard as ever to expose and end cruelty to animals. We can’t and won’t let animal suffering and abuse be ignored or forgotten. Please take heart in the results of this investigation and the fact that your help and support makes this victory and everything that we do to help animals possible. And please know that we will continue to expose and end these abuses until the day comes when we bring an end to factory farming.

You can still help! Please forward the video to everyone you know and urge them not to eat pigs or any animals. And if you haven’t already written to Hormel to demand that the company follow PETA’s eight-point policy to govern future pig-farming operations, please do so now.

Thank you for all that you do for animals!

With kind regards,

Ingrid E. Newkirk
President
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals

It’s a relief to see that the police are taking this issue seriously. And thanks to PETA for going undercover to investigate this horrid abuse. The people who abuse these animals clearly are disturbed and deserve a just punishment. Often times people who are violent towards animals are violent towards humans. I hope these abusers undergo a psychiatric evaluation in order to understand why they do what they do and to determine if they will continue to be a danger to society. We need to get to the root of this violence.

It’s interesting when you compare this situation to that of the Humane Society’s undercorver footage for Westland/Hallmark. That made the news and was a huge deal. Why is this case less important to the media? This is just as bad, and quite possibly worse abuse. I guess with Hallmark, people feared the risk of consuming contaminated meat from sick cows. Either way, I feel this footage and all the other disturbing footage PETA and other animal rights groups have captured over the years deserves that media attention. Perhaps some day…  In any case, this is a great achievement, and we can view it as a glimmer of hope for decreasing animal abuse in the future.