AP Exclusive: Video shows workers abusing pigs

[nam78_two]

Source: Associated Press

AP Exclusive: Video shows workers abusing pigs
By FREDERIC J. FROMMER – 24 minutes ago

WASHINGTON (AP) — An Iowa sheriff said Wednesday he has launched an investigation into a videotape showing abuse of pigs at a farm.
The video, shot by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, shows farm workers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods into sows' hindquarters. Greene County Sheriff Tom Heater told The Associated Press that he had met with PETA representatives on Tuesday.

"They provided us with what appears to be some really good information," he said. "Our next step is to secure interviews with potential suspects, and definitely make sure that there's no further abuse occurring down there — that's our main concern at this point."

Asked if crimes had been committed, Heater responded, "It appears that there were, yes."
On the video, obtained by The AP, a supervisor tells an undercover PETA investigator that when he gets angry or a sow won't move, "I grab one of these rods and jam it in her (anus)."



Read more: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5jYCps4elThCbt4fcA1bKFoxNscmwD938LP5G0

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More at the link..So saddening :(.

Another news items on this here:
http://www.bizjournals.com/twincities/stories/2008/09/15/daily18.html

The video, which was shot at a pig farm near Bayard, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, depicts workers kicking the animals and using metal rods to beat them. It also shows workers killing “runt” piglets by smashing their bodies on a concrete floor. The piglets remained alive for up to 12 minutes before dying from injuries.

[blueclown]

1. factory farming is an evil that peta has been trying to expose for a decade.

and yet they have been shunned for just as long for being "extremist" in their views.

well, this is the truth, this is actually happening, and there is nothing "extremist" about what peta is doing.

[nam78_two]

2. Welcome to DU

:hi:
And I agree factory farming is an awful, inhumane practice. Check out my sig (hidden by the giant cute pic of the Obama family :)).

[blueclown]

3. thank you!

peta gets consistent backlash for what they do, but they are doing the right thing.

[The Brethren]

17. Welcome aboard Barack08!

The only extreme thing I seeing happening is by the farm workers. The more this kind of behavior is exposed, the harder it is for abusive people towards animals to get away with it.

[OneBlueSky]

18. factory farming should be banned altogether . . .

will that raise the price of meat? . . . absolutely . . . but Americans need to move away from the "all-meat, all-the-time" and start relying more on fruits, veggies, nuts, etc. anyhow . . . and a return to family farming, at least on some scale, would bring diversity and improve quality to our food choices . . .

[KayLaw]

4. Rat bastards.

There's just no excuse. You can make a case for eating meat but such abuse should not be tolerated.

[nam78_two]

9. Yep I think this is something that (most) meat-eaters and vegetarians/vegans can agree on

Barring the extreme sickos/psychos who think "mere animals" don't deserve any protection from abuse and find this sort of thing amusing, most normal people with normal levels of compassion and empathy want this sort of abuse eliminated.

The remaining people are the ones who would inflict this sort of abuse themselves...

[fascisthunter]

5. for a Second I Thought a Bunch of Republicans had Gotten Jumped

by a mob....

[eowyn_of_rohan]

6. How can there be people like this?

Who have no conscience or compassion? Are they even human? They bring out the worst thoughts and feelings in me.

[Mojorabbit]

15. I have been thinking this all day

The person who bragged he did these horrible things needs to be prosecuted but I have been imagining a worse punishment for him all day. I can't help myself. I am horrified. I have no problem raising animals for food but they should be treated humanely.

[prayin4rain]

16. Really though, I agree, I wouldn't believe it if they didn't have tape.

I just cannot believe the terrible things that people do :(

[No Passaran]

7. And this gem from Google News

[Seldona]

14. ROFL!

That is hilarious! Good find.

[Guy Whitey Corngood]

8. Is the Governor OK? nt

[Triana]

10. these people are psychopaths. this type of animal cruelty is INEXCUSABLE!!

:mad:
:mad:
:mad:

In these cases, I hope PETA brings the full brunt of BAD PUBLICITY and legal action on these bastards.

THIS is one reason I do NOT eat meat. There are others, but this is most certainly one of them. I will NOT contribute to this.

[Omaha Steve]

11. K&R

I used to think PETA was out there. I changed over time.

[Dystopian]

13. I love your photo....

:loveya:
Beautiful...


peace~

[BearSquirrel2]

19. Stopped clock ...

Even a stopped clock is right twice per day.

The fact is that PETA has no moral authority on this issue as PETA's solution to the situation would be to kill all the pigs via chemical injection. They have no room to talk as they have no remedies for an industry that simply ARE NOT going away.

The correct remediation is to lower the animals stress level and make sure that culling is low stress, swift and painless.

The guys winging those piglets against the ground need to be charged with animal cruelty. They had knives and could have slit jugulars. Instead they inflicted massive head injuries and allowed the animals to suffer. This is a sick mind at work and no ethical hunter would do this.

[damntexdem]

12. Really? It's usually pigs abusing workers.

Oh, ANIMAL pigs, not business owners!

[Blue_Tires]

20. kick

[JonQ]

21. Factory farming

isn't evil, these individuals are.

And while the company may not be doing enough to prevent this sort of thing it's unlikely they are encouraging it. Not out of any concern for the animals per se, but because abused, stressed out animals tend to put on less weight for the same amount of food and produce lower quality meat.

This isn't some broad sweeping condemnation of the entire industry, any more than a chef spitting in your food means all restaurants should be shut down. Find the people who do this, punish them and move on.