| Updated: 2/02 10:45 am |
Published: 1/31 9:39 pm
|
Two of the nation's largest pork suppliers in Oklahoma are facing accusations of animal cruelty.
The Humane Society of the United States has released undercover video alleging Seaboard Foods and Prestage Farms mistreatment of pigs.
They describe conditions with pigs living in cramped in gestation crates, chewing on metal bars and surrounded by their feces.
"It's really a living hell for them," says Cynthia Armstrong, Humane Society of Oklahoma State Director.
The undercover video was shot at Seaboard Foods and Prestage Farms' pig breeding facilities in Goodwell, Oklahoma.
"Factory farming is the experiment that failed," said Armstrong.
Video shows employees at the factories performing procedures on piglets such as castration and tail-cutting without painkillers.
However, The Oklahoma Pork Council, who represents pork suppliers in the state, says it showed the video to a number of veterinarians who all said they would've done it the same way.
"If you're not accustom to being on a farm and you're not accustomed to being around animals, said Roy Lee Lindsey, Executive Director of the Oklahoma Pork Council. “Some of those things may be a little surprising but they are what we see everyday."
Both companies have released statements:
Prestage Farms respond, “We recognize our moral and ethical obligation to provide for the responsible treatment of our animals. Any willful mistreatment or neglect of animals is unacceptable."
Seaboard foods said, "Seaboard foods employees uphold best industry practices and our company will continue to act in ways that provide the most humane treatment for our animals."
Some pork suppliers are already doing away with the small crate containment system.
The Humane Society wants to see Seaboard and Prestage do the same.
However, Lindsey says those other methods don't always work because the pigs fight each other.
He says it's often better to keep them separated.
Both companies are conducting internal investigations.
The Humane Society of the United States has filed legal complaints with the Federal Trade Commission and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission.
