On Tue, 24 Oct 2006 13:23:48 +0100, "Road_HogŪ"
wrote:
"Geoff" wrote in message
.. .
PART TWO - The Life of a Breeding Sow
http://vanguardpublications.blogspot.com/
Published August 25, 2006
by Larry Parker
Pigs, much like dogs and cats, are intelligent and responsive
creatures. One is made aware of this simply by watching them forage,
play, or socialize. For many people, pigs make wonderful pets. They
can be taught to use a litter, and they commonly enjoy a good game of
fetch, a scratch on the head, or even a soothing belly rub. Just like
dogs or cats, they're playful, affectionate, inquisitive, and
humorous.
On today's factory farms, however, pigs are prevented from exercising
any of these natural traits. They're shown no affection or compassion,
and they're provided no freedom. Here, within rows of industrial
factory buildings, the breeding sows are crowded together as closely
as possible, each in a separate metallic "gestation crate", for the
entire duration of their pregnancy - about four months. The gestation
crate is unbelievably restrictive, measuring anywhere from 18 inches
to two feet across and about seven feet long. This severe confinement
prevents the females from turning around, and barely provides enough
room to sit or lie down. When they do sit, it's without the benefit of
any straw bedding. The floor beneath their feet is slatted or grated,
thereby allowing the passage of feces and urine, but making it
difficult for the animals to stand. In their attempts to move about,
the pigs inevitably scrape and bruise themselves repeatedly on the
metal bars of their prison, and it isn't long before their bodies are
covered in lesions and tumors.
Another consequence of their imprisonment manifests itself after about
four or five pregnancies and several months of forced inactivity, as
the leg muscles of the animals become severely atrophied from disuse.
Many pigs break their legs while trying to turn around or escape,
while others simply collapse in their cages, unable to support their
own weight.
Veterinary care is rarely provided for these poor creatures, usually
only when some physical disorder threatens to halt the flow of
production. And though the pigs are constantly being pumped full of a
cornucopia of drugs such as antibiotics, hormones, and laxatives, it's
considered unnecessary to include pain relievers as part of their
diet. Denied the basic needs of exercise, fresh air, or even proper
veterinary care, the sows become vulnerable to a large number of
debilitating diseases, including anemia, influenza, cholera,
dysentery, trichinosis, orthostasis, intestinal tract infections, and
pneumonia, to name only a few. Many pigs die needlessly as a result of
these inhumane conditions. The industry, however, views their deaths,
which now occur at a rate of about 14%, as "acceptable losses".
When the sow is ready to give birth, she's moved to another equally
restrictive confinement device known as a "farrowing crate". Here
she'll give birth to and wean her young. In a natural unrestricted
environment the duration of this nursing period varies from 13 to 17
weeks. On the factory farm, however, the piglets are snatched away
after just 3 weeks. The mother is immediately re-impregnated, and then
herded or dragged back to the gestation crate to begin the process all
over again.
After anywhere from three to five years of these forced cyclical
pregnancies, the pig reaches a point where she's considered to be no
longer productive. The money machine has run dry, and at this time,
she'll be afforded the only mercy she's ever known - death!
But only if she's very lucky will even her death be executed in a
merciful fashion.
The "long walk" to slaughter begins with the pigs being herded into
large slaughterhouse trucks. This is typically accomplished by
electrical prodding, dragging with chains, or oftentimes by pushing
them en masse using a tractor or forklift. Not surprisingly, many of
the pigs suffer bruises, torn ligaments, and broken limbs. With
complete disregard for their pain, these injury victims are simply
pushed into the truck with the rest. Then begins the transport itself
which can last as long as 50 or 60 hours [update]. During this time,
the pigs are unlikely to receive food, water, or even relief from
their cramped quarters. Squeezed together as tightly as possible,
they're kept imprisoned in the truck during the entire journey. Many
will die en route from hunger, suffocation, or extreme heat.
Though there are currently no federal regulations which can protect
the animals during their stay on the factory farm, there are laws on
the books which are designed to guarantee them a swift and humane
death. Poorly enforced, however, these laws are all too commonly
abused or simply ignored for the sake of a speedier and more efficient
process. And so the suffering continues right up to the very end!
And what of the offspring?
After being removed from their mothers, the piglets are pushed into
overcrowded pens with bare metal, concrete, or fiberglass floors.
Again, no straw or other form of bedding is provided, and under these
stressful conditions, the piglets often resort to tail-biting. The
industry's solution to this, rather than providing a more relaxed or
comfortable environment, is to perform a surgical technique on the
piglets known as tail-docking (amputating the tail using either
pliers, scissors, or a knife). As an added measure, it's also common
practice to cut the front teeth (again using pliers). Both of these
procedures, not to mention castration, which all the males must
undergo, involve very sensitive areas of the pig's anatomy, and yet
rarely are they performed by a qualified veterinarian or with the
benefit of pain relievers.
After five or six months of being confined in these crowded pens, the
piglets are then shipped off to be processed, packed into waiting
trucks by workers who wear earplugs to muffle the cacophony of screams
and cries. The males, having been fattened during this period, are
sent directly to slaughter, while the females selected for breeding
are introduced to the prisons in which they'll spend the rest of their
lives.
Possibly the most heart-rendering aspect of this entire tragedy is the
psychological impact that a life devoid of any comfort or joy has on
the pigs. For starters, one is most struck by reports which relate how
the mere presence of any human entering the sow pen causes the
creatures to break out instantaneously in waves of squealing and
roaring, violently rattling their cages like beings possessed. Their
fear must be unimaginable. Add to this the commonly experienced
disorders such as chronic stress, depression, frustration, and
aggression. But most disturbing of all are the abnormal repetitive
movements known as stereotypies: waving their heads from side to side,
chewing on thin air, repeatedly biting on or rubbing their snouts
across the bars of their cages, imaginary nest-building with straw
that doesn't exist. Some of the animals, apparently unable to bear
their agony any longer, simply lay motionless, their minds shattered,
their spirits broken.
This then is the life of a sow on the factory farm. A shining
testament to the ingenuity and resourcefulness of man.
It's estimated that at any given time the number of breeding sows
being kept in gestation crates in this country is about 4 million. The
typical factory farm houses anywhere from 3,000 to 50,000 pigs, while
the largest of these facilities is known to hold up to 1.2 million.
Global statistics are even more staggering, where it should be noted
that as of September, 2005, factory farming operations accounted for
more than 40% of the world's total meat production - an increase of
10% over the previous year.
In spite of the seemingly impossible odds which these facts represent,
it's my belief that with time and dedication, the battle to save and
protect these animals can still be won. While the European Union, for
example, is in the process of phasing out gestation crates, England
and Switzerland have already banned their use entirely, as well as a
number of other cruel practices. Isn't it far past time for the United
States to follow suit? As citizens and stewards of this nation,
shouldn't we insist that our government take the steps necessary to
deliver millions of innocent creatures from the suffering they now
endure?
Next Time: Now That You're Here, Take a Look Around
Whilst not wanting to encourage a spamming ****,
But as an attention seeking troll, you will?
as I am all for animal
welfare, it would help your cause if you did a little research on your
subject before subjecting Usenet to it.
The newsgroups you have posted to are predominantly if not all UK groups.
Your spam refers to the North American farm practice, not the UK and even in
your pasted text it says
"While the European Union, for
example, is in the process of phasing out gestation crates, England
and Switzerland have already banned their use entirely,"
Now you can substitute England for the UK because I doubt they know there is
a diference. So the very thing you go on about is actually banned here and
if you'd ever driven in East Anglia in this country you would know that.
So quality not quantity and target your audience better.
I thought the Internet was a global medium! I want to know what's
happening all over the planet, not just in a small pocket of nothing.
You might be narrow minded. Thankfully most of us are not.