Des Moines, Iowa - Mercy for Animals, a Chicago based nonprofit organization devoted to humane treatment of farm animals will release an undercover video shot at Iowa Select Farms, the largest producer of hogs in Iowa. The entire video will be released tomorrow morning at 11:00 AM at the Embassy Suites in Des Moines.
Animal Protection Laws of Iowa
A preview of the video shows piglets "tossed like footballs," sows in cages where they are not even able to turn around, pigs with open sores and ruptures, and a piglet thrown to the floor as the reported way the animal was "euthanized."
One female worker was quoted on the video as saying;
"Throwing pigs - it's like a roller-coaster ride for piglets."
Iowa Select Farms veterinarian, Dr. Howard Hill said that tossing piglets is a violation of the company policy and told Brownfield Ag News for America that he was "absolutely concerned about this." Hill also suggested the video may have been staged, and stated the video was shot by a female employee who began work there in April and abruptly left in June without ever giving notice. Hill states much of what he saw on the film was taken out of context.
AdvertisementIn March, the Iowa House passed the "AgGag" bill, which would make undercover investigations such as this illegal, however the bill has not been voted on by the Senate.
The video in its entirety will be available to be viewed tomorrow.
Iowa Select Farms sells pork to Costco, and Costco's vice president of quality assurance and food safety, Craig Wilson was disturbed by the tossing of piglets and the slamming of a piglet to the floor as a method of "euthanization." Nevertheless, Wilson would not commit to stop using the company as a pork supplier stating that wouldn't be the way to make the industry better.
Mercy for Animals wants retailers to stop using Select Farms, stop the horrible cruelty to piglets, and eliminate gestation crates so pigs can have some quality of life that all animals deserve - even if they are ultimately headed for slaughter. The organization is the voice for animals through education, advertising, research, undercover investigations, working with news media and activism.
Please be warned that the preview video is extremely graphic and may not be suitable for all viewers.
Cheryl Hanna is a freelance writer living in South Florida. She spends her spare time with Chance and Dakota, two horses rescued from slaughter...
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