Hidden-camera footage recorded by a Mercy For
Animals undercover investigator at a Kentucky pig factory farm owned by Tosh Farms, a JBS supplier,
reveals horrific animal abuse. The investigator documented
workers kicking and punching animals in their faces, ripping out the testicles
of baby pigs without any pain relief, and violently smashing baby pigs
headfirst against the ground to kill them.
The heartbreaking undercover footage also shows
sick and injured piglets left to suffer without proper veterinary care and
mother pigs kept in metal cages so tiny that the animals can’t even turn around
or lie down comfortably, let alone walk, explore, or engage in other natural
behaviors. These horrible cages are dubbed “gestation crates.”
JBS is the largest meat company in the world.
There are more than 30 brands under the JBS umbrella, and the massive company
has offices or slaughterhouses in over 20 countries. Tosh Farms alone confines
about 30,000 “breeding sows who give birth to over 725,000 piglets each year.
Since these sensitive and
intelligent animals are repeatedly impregnated and confined in gestation crates for nearly their entire unnaturally short lives, they suffer a number of
significant health problems, including elevated risk of urinary tract
infections, weakened bones, overgrown hooves, lameness, and stereotypies.
Pigs are every bit as capable of experiencing
pain and sadness as our beloved dogs and cats, and they deserve protection from
cruelty. But pigs raised for JBS are treated as mere meat-producing machines.
Their short lives are filled with misery. Confined and deprived of mental
stimulation, mother pigs are driven mad by boredom and stress. They repeatedly
bite the bars of their cages—a sign of serious mental collapse.
See for yourself.
Gestation crates are
so cruel they have been banned in 10 U.S. states, Canada, the European Union,
New Zealand, and Australia. More than 60 major food companies—including McDonald’s,
Walmart, Burger King, and Nestlé—have adopted policies to ban gestation crates
from their supply chains.
MFA is calling on JBS
to prohibit Tosh Farms, along with the rest of its suppliers worldwide, from
cramming pigs into cages so small the animals can barely move. We are also
urging the company to put an end to excruciating mutilations, such as tearing
out the testicles, grinding down the teeth, and cutting off the tails of
piglets without painkillers. There is no excuse for this horrific animal abuse.
As the largest meat company in the world, JBS has the power and the
responsibility to ban the worst factory farming practices in its entire supply
chain.
YOU CAN
HELP END THIS CRUELTY!
Share MFA’s undercover footage on social media and sign this
petition to make
gestation crates a thing of the past.
And remember, every time we sit down to eat, we
can promote kindness to animals. The most powerful choice compassionate
consumers can make to protect pigs and other farmed animals from needless
suffering is simply to leave them off their plates. Learn more about switching
to a compassionate
plant-based diet to prevent cruelty to all animals used for food. Then check out these plant-based
bacon recipes and these amazing vegan versions of sausage.