February 8, 2007

We applaud Maple Leaf and Smithfield corporations for phasing out sow gestation crates that prohibit female pigs from turning around or properly bonding with their young. But don't be fooled into thinking this phase out means pigs raised for food consumption or breeding are going to have "the good life".

Piglet's tails will be docked, ears notched and males castrated without the benefit of pain relief. Pigs raised for consumption will still be crowded into small, concrete enclosures with no stimulation for their intelligent minds. No factory farmed pig will frolic in the mud, breathe fresh air or feel the sun on their backs. And phasing out gestation crates will not change that fact.

Animals will be crowded into large trucks, hauled to overcrowded slaughterhouses and killed in manners that can only be described as cruel.

Please do not be conned by the false pretenses of "compassionate farming" these corporations present. While gestation crates are an egregious farming practice, they are only part-and-parcel to an entire industry based on profit and inhumane treatment of animals.

Do what you can by decreasing meat consumption or going vegan. It is easier than you think, and the benefits of a vegan diet greatly outweigh any of the "negatives". Plus, Claire and Owen will thank you for not eating their porcine brothers and sisters!

Maple Leaf to phase out gestation crates http://www.thestar.com/article/176954

Smithfield Foods, Inc phasing out gestation crates http://desmoinesregister.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070125/BUSINESS01/70125018/1001