Christie Lagally

Horrific confinement of pigs in China. Please support only farmers who are humane to animals.

Imagine that you aren’t allowed to move your legs or lift you head because the cage you are in is the size and shape of your own body.  This is a condition even worse than in a puppy mill, where dogs are in cages not much larger than they are.  But pigs have it even worse.

Extreme confinement is probably one of the most atrocious cruelty acts caused by people and it is practiced in the pork industry.  It also causes deep emotional suffering to people who witness it — like us.

Not everyone is willing or able to be a vegetarian or vegan, but we can choose to buy meat and dairy only from humane farms who do not use extreme confinement. Consider only getting your meat from places like Whole Foods in the US or local farms near where you live that practice humane farming.

Furthermore, your support of groups that advocate for humane farm animal treatment is an excellent use of money — because this kind of suffering hurts the hearts and minds of people as well as pigs.

I am a proud supporter of The Humane Society of the United States and I have spent much of my life suffering emotionally due to my concern for animals — especially farm animals that could just as easily be raised for meat without extreme confinement.   And in recent years, due to the HSUS and other groups working to stop extreme confinement of farm animals, we have a glimmer of hope that some animals need not suffer so that you can have food on your table.

It is possible, and very practical, to have humane farms.  Just this week,  Rhode Island became the next in a string of states that have banned the porcine gestation crate which immobilizes pregnant pigs.  And it’s not just activist and legislators who are willing to end the use of extreme confinement. Fast food chains and food service companies are taking action as well.

Facts from the HSUS Press Release

• Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Michigan, Ohio and Oregon have all passed laws to phase out gestation crates. In addition to Rhode Island, bills on this issue are currently pending in Massachusetts, New York and New Jersey.
• Since February, McDonald’s, Burger King, Wendy’s, Cracker Barrel, Denny’s and Sonic have announced that they will eliminate gestation crates from their supply chains, as have Kroger and Safeway, the nation’s top two supermarket chains, and Compass Group, the world’s largest foodservice company.
• Renowned animal welfare scientist and advisor to the pork industry, Temple Grandin, Ph.D., is clear on this issue, stating: “Confining an animal for most of its life in a box in which it is not able to turn around does not provide a decent life.” Grandin further states, “We’ve got to treat animals right, and the gestation stalls have got to go.”

But the picture of the caged pigs above it also disturbing because it is in China where laws to protect animals are scarce.  But you can certainly end your support of China’s actions by not buying meat from China.  Check your labels!