Pigs

“Always remember, a cat looks down on man, a dog looks up to man, but a pig will look man right in the eye and see his equal.”--W.S. Churchill

Pigs in a Factory Farm

This is a video documented by the Humane Society of the United States that provides us with an insight of the inhumane treatments towards pigs. The video also reveals how the mother pigs are big wounded and are killed with with the baby pigs. Pigs are clustered into these small cages making them lose the ability to move. It is sad to watch these poor pigs suffer because they too feel pain.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L_vqIGTKuQE

Artificial Semination

These images reveal the inhumane conditions sows are imposed to, besides being locked in small cages without mobility they inject them with tubes through their behind.Instead of having another male pig have sexual contact with a mom pig they used a process called artificial insemination.Which helps produces more piglets meaning more pork meat for the consumer and more money for the corporations. Artificial Semination process is beneficial to the production but is affecting the consumer.

Sow's & their Piglets

According to the Animal Welfare Institute "Pregnant pigs (i.e., sows) are traditionally confined to crates for their four-month long gestation; while in the crates, these pigs can only stand in place or lie down." The sows unlike the other factory pigs are not clustered in small cages they are enclose in "farrowing crates" while they are awaiting labor. Mother pigs are also in groups with other pregnant sows and after giving birth to their piglets they are prepare for slaughtered.

http://awionline.org/content/pigs

Pig Cruelty 

The image was on the article Pigs on Factory Farms published on ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals). The image demonstrates the amounts of pigs inside factory farms and the limited space they have for themselves. According to the article "the U.S. raises some 100 million pigs for food each year" this is only in the United States. This image portraits the inhumane conditions the U.S maintains the meat that will end up on our kitchen table. Shouldn't our meat be under the best conditions because I know no one likes to eat a mad pig. 



MRSA Disease

Photo: M. Spencer Green, AP

Pigs are not only being kept in these small cages but are also infested with manure that leads to diseases affecting them and the near by people and also the not so near people. The disease is called "Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , or MRSA" it produces from manure in factory farms. These diseases or bacteria are treated with antibiotics but because pigs have been injected with human antibiotics humans could battle the bacteria but they still have a chance of getting infected.That is why "Environmentalists and others criticized the FDA guidelines as too weak, arguing that limits on antibiotic use on farms should be set into law"(Szabo). To help maintain healthy pigs, consumers, and the environment.
Szabo, Liz. "Community-spread MRSA Infections Related to Pig Manire." USA Today, 16                        Sept. 2013. Web. 4 May 2014. 
   

The Virus that is Killing Pigs

PHOTOGRAPH BY RICHARD HAMILTON SMITH, CORBIS

This photograph is from an article in National Geographic Daily News by Reed Karaim portrays the issue about pigs and their exposed to the virus that is causing their death. According to Karaim for the past year about seven million American pigs have died because of this virus. Furthermore, it is also harming the consumer, exposing them to the virus that could affect their health.As a result of this issue the pork meat prices have gone up and this too affects the consumer's budget.

Karain, Reed. "Virus Kills Millions of American Pigs, pishing up Pork Prices." National                           Geographic:Daily News, 1 May 2014. Web. 4 May 2014.

Blogger: Stephanie Cruz