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Divide and Conquer Piglets are separated from their mothers long before they would naturally wean and the resulting health problems are entirely predictable. Birth is pretty bleak and life away from Mum is no better. These highly intelligent animals survive in filthy pens
with nothing to do but wait for death. Lower Egford Farm satisfies the law by throwing down scant amounts of straw. Driven by boredom, frustration and sometimes even madness, tail-biting (or rather stump biting) is a serious problem despite the mutilations.
Violence and abuse Our investigators witnessed one farm worker attack a sow that wouldn’t go where he wanted her to. She was repeatedly kicked, prodded with a pitchfork and hit so hard by a gate that she fell to the floor. We reported this to the authorities but no action was taken apart from a ‘spot of advice’ being offered. Imagine the outcry if she had been a dog? We wonder what else happens on British pig farms
when there are no witnesses and no effective deterrents to stop abuse? Chillingly, while our investigators were recording, farm
workers made no secret of what they would do if they caught anyone investigating their farm. Psychological torture, rape and murder were the suggestions.
An untimely end Lower Egford Farm is a grim complex of buildings designed to imprison pigs. If the animals don’t die beforehand, all eventually face the horrors of the slaughterhouse, most at six months old. Sows make the journey after their seventh pregnancy. However, dead piglets littered the gangways and at one point on this farm, 16 pigs were being shot every week because they were too ill or too lame to even make it as far as the abattoir. Autopsies are carried out in full view of living pigs.
Lifting the lid Whenever we expose a farm the same old cry goes up that this is just one rotten apple. In fact, much of what happens at Lower Egford Farm happens on most pig farms in Britain. At Viva!, we know the best way to end the suffering of animals
is to persuade people to stop buying meat and our exposés do precisely that. This is why our undercover investigations are so vital – and they wouldn’t happen without your support.
Get active for pigs with Viva! Premature death is a common occurrence on British pig farms
Have you written to the Government to call for a ban on piglet mutilations? There is still time! If you have access to the internet, we have lots of ways that you can quickly and easily make a difference. Just visit
www.piggles.org.uk. Alternatively, contact us for your sample letter, free Pig Action pack and door-dropper leaflets to spread the information! (See page 4 for our contact details.)
www.viva.org.uk 9 Farrowing crates keep mother and babies apart
pig farm
National media coverage of our campaign to end piglet mutilations has reached millions
This sow was hit with a gate with such force that she fell over
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