#farrowing crates

[devoted1989]

Image with kind permission from Vegan for the Animals.

[queerpyracy]

the day i find a food writer that can be clear-eyed and normal about both animal ag and fat people i will become their loudest evangelist since this is apparently an impossible ask of any food writing

[p0orbaby]

Born to Love You Back

summary: a very important question is on the horizon

warnings: none

a/n: some rich!reader for you all

word count: 1.7k

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The jeweller’s salon is tucked into a narrow street in the 1st arrondissement, down a street so narrow you almost missed it, the kind of place that doesn’t need signage because everyone who matters already knows where it is. The building itself is unassuming but pristine, a five-storey townhouse with cream-coloured stone, wrought-iron balconies, a double door painted a deep charcoal with brass fixtures that gleam in the waning afternoon sun. Outside, a delivery van idles, spilling faint notes of Edith Piaf from its radio as a man unloads crates of flowers: cyclamen, lilies, eucalyptus branches arranged in bursts of green and white. They’ll likely find their way to the salon’s interior within the hour, arranged with almost mathematical precision to evoke a studied nonchalance.

Inside, it’s quiet—museum-like but less sterile, hushed but alive. There’s a balance between the soft hum of conversation from another room and the faint, barely perceptible scent of lilies and leather. The floors are a herringbone parquet, polished to an impossible sheen, and the walls are panelled in dove grey. Everything about the space is designed to whisper money. Even the receptionist, stationed behind a desk lacquered to such a high gloss that it might double as a mirror. She’s mid-twenties, probably just out of university—Sciences Po, perhaps, or one of the Grandes Écoles—wearing a black crepe shift dress that hits just above the knee. Chanel, you’d bet, though it’s hard to tell from here. Her hair is sleek and straight, parted sharply in the middle, her nails painted in Rouge Noir, a colour so iconic it’s practically shorthand for Parisian sophistication. She greets you in French first, then switches to English the moment she hears your accent, though her tone remains precisely the same—warm but not too warm, deferential but not subservient.

Aurélie is waiting for you on the stairs. She’s maybe late thirties, tall, with that certain froideur that women in her line of work cultivate like a second skin. Her blazer is Saint Laurent—black, sharply tailored, peak lapels—and her silk blouse is an ivory so fine it catches the light in a way cotton never could. Her trousers skim the tops of her Louboutin heels—black patent leather, red soles so subtle they barely register. Her jewellery is minimal but deliberate: a single strand of Mikimoto pearls, their lustre so perfect they almost look artificial, and a pair of matching studs. She smiles when she greets you, her lips painted a nude so neutral it could have come from any number of Tom Ford palettes, but you’d guess Casablanca.

“This way, please,” she says, gesturing towards the stairs with a hand that’s manicured in a soft ballet pink, not a chip in sight. You follow her up, noting the faint scent of her perfume—Chanel No. 19, not a popular choice but a discerning one, with its crisp notes of galbanum and iris that feel both professional and unapologetically feminine.

On the landing, there’s a painting—a still life, maybe Cézanne, maybe a very good imitation. You don’t stop to look, but it catches your eye enough to linger in your mind as Aurélie opens a door to the second-floor where Its quieter, darker. The walls are a deep navy—Farrow & Ball, maybe Hague Blue—and the rug beneath the central display case is thick enough to swallow the sound of your footsteps. The case itself is glass-topped and backlit, the kind of lighting that renders diamonds almost supernatural in their brilliance. The rings are arranged by cut and carat, each one nestled in its own velvet slot, the symmetry of the display both calming and slightly overwhelming.

Aurélie steps aside, giving you space but remaining close enough to anticipate your needs. She stands with her hands loosely clasped in front of her, her posture immaculate.

“Take your time,” she says, standing back with the same attentive grace she’s shown since you arrived.

You nod, your gaze already falling to the rings. You’ve thought about this for weeks, maybe months, but standing here, it feels more real, the weight of the decision settling in your chest. Not because you’re uncertain—you’re not—but because this is a moment you’ll remember, whether you want to or not.

The first ring is a cushion-cut diamond, two carats, set in a band of pave diamonds. Platinum, naturally. The proportions are flawless, the craftsmanship impeccable, but as you turn it in the light, you know immediately it’s wrong. Too ornate. Too eager. Alexia would hate it. You imagine her wearing it for a moment, and the thought feels so ridiculous you almost laugh. She doesn’t like excess, at least not in the obvious sense. Her taste is clean, modern, unfussy.

The second ring is pear-shaped, slightly smaller, but with a brilliance that draws your eye. The stone feels alive under the light, its facets catching every subtle movement of your hand. For a moment, you hesitate, thinking about how it would look on her hand, but then you remember something she said once, flipping through a magazine in bed: “Pear cuts are too delicate. They look like they’re trying too hard.”

You sigh, not quite aloud, but enough for Aurélie to notice. She steps closer, just enough to offer a quiet suggestion. “Does she have a preference?” she asks, her tone light, neutral. “For the setting, or the cut?”

“She likes things simple,” you say, the words coming out more clipped than you mean them to. It’s not her fault, this unease you feel. “Classic, but not boring”

Aurélie nods, her expression unchanged, and steps back again. You wonder if she can sense the weight of what you’re doing—if she’s seen enough of this to know the signs. The third ring catches your eye before you reach for it. A round brilliant diamond, 1.8 carats, set in a plain platinum band. No pave, no halo, no embellishments. It’s striking in its simplicity, the kind of ring that doesn’t need to assert itself because it knows what it is. You pick it up, holding it to the light, and as you turn it, something settles in you. This is the one. You don’t need to overthink it.

Aurélie smiles faintly, as though she already knew. “Shall I prepare it for you?” she asks.

You nod, handing it back, and she takes it with both hands, disappearing into a back room.

While she’s gone, you pull out your phone. You shouldn’t call her—she’s probably still at training, her mind on drills and tactics—but you do it anyway. She answers on the third ring, her voice steady but soft, with that familiar cadence you’ve missed more than you’d care to admit.

“Hey,” she says, her voice clear, grounded, with just the faintest lilt of distraction. In the background, there’s a low murmur of voices, the familiar thud of a ball meeting turf, maybe a coach shouting something that’s swallowed up by the wind. You imagine the sun slicing through the Catalan sky, the kind of relentless brightness that makes the whole city shimmer.

“Hey,” you reply, smoothing nonexistent creases from your blazer out of habit, though no one is watching. Your reflection in the polished glass of the display case looks composed, disinterested, but the sound of her voice pulls something taut inside you. “How’s training?”

“Same as always,” she says, and there’s a pause—just long enough for you to hear her exhale softly, almost imperceptibly. You know she’s stepped aside, moved to some quieter corner of the training complex where no one will overhear. She’s careful like that, never careless, always aware of her surroundings.

“Still exhausting?” you ask, and she laughs under her breath—a low, warm sound that lingers longer than it should.

“Mhm,” she hums, the sound of it makes you smile despite yourself. “But it’s a good kind of exhausting. You know how it is”

“Not sure I do,” you tease, leaning against the edge of the display case, its surface cool against your hand. “I can’t say I’ve run laps around a pitch lately. Unless you count running several businesses as exercise”

“Of course,” she says, dry but affectionate, “such an athlete. Truly inspiring”

The corner of your mouth twitches upward. “I aim to impress”

There’s a faint rustle of movement on her end—maybe she’s leaning against a wall, maybe adjusting the strap of her training bib. You picture her in that effortless way she carries herself: shorts sitting just right, socks perfectly rolled down, hair tied back in that half-loose, half-styled way that only someone like her can pull off.

“Where are you?” she asks, not because she doesn’t know, but because it’s the kind of question you ask when you want the conversation to last a little longer.

“Near Rue de la Paix,” you say, keeping it vague. “Finishing up a meeting”

“You’re always finishing up a meeting,” she says, and there’s a lightness to her tone, but it doesn’t quite hide the subtext.

“You’re always training,” you counter, matching her tone, and you hear her chuckle, soft but genuine.

“Buen punto”

There’s a brief pause. In the background, someone calls her name, a voice you don’t recognise, and she responds with a quick, sharp “Un momento.” The way she switches languages so fluidly—it’s seamless—and yet it reminds you, in a small but certain way, that her world is different from yours. Barcelona, with its golden afternoons and relentless sun, its terracotta rooftops and restless streets, feels a thousand miles away from the polished stillness of this Parisian jewellers.

“You should,” you encouraged knowing full well she’ll make no move to end the call herself.

“I’ll see you tonight?” she asks, and it’s a question, but not really.

“Of course,” you say, without hesitation this time.

There’s another silence after that, but it’s not uncomfortable. It’s the kind of silence you could live in, one where nothing needs to be said because the words are already understood. Finally, she says, “Te quiero,” and you hear the faint click as she ends the call.

Aurélie returns with the ring, now nestled in a velvet box so pristine it looks almost untouched by human hands. You slip it into your pocket, the weight of it grounding you, and leave the salon with a nod of thanks.

Outside, Paris feels sharper, brighter. The air smells faintly of rain and burnt sugar from a nearby crepe stand, and the light is just beginning to soften as dusk approaches. For the first time all day, you feel steady.

[grison-in-space]

I wanted to make so many metaphors from livestock welfare for that post, but didn't feel like catching the associated snarl of feelings and ideas that people have about animal management and food in response, because that's its own kettle of fish. But while I was looking for an easily accessible concept to tap into, I found something really cool.

Let me talk about farrowing rails for a second. When sows give birth to piglets, it's unfortunately rather common for little piglets to get crushed beneath their mother's weight. No one, least of all sows, wants this to happen, but the sow is huge and has to lie down a lot so the piglets can suckle and especially when they are born piglets are almost cartoonishly tiny. They are also not good at moving quickly and anticipating their mother's movements yet. This means that there are often piglet losses from being squished to death.

So pig farmers often use a farrowing crate to protect piglets from getting squished. Sows go into it before they give birth and come out either at weaning or when the piglets are big enough that squishing isn't an issue.

It has slats that piglets can fit between and move around in, so their mothers can't crush them. It's very effective for increasing piglet survival and decreasing these kinds of crushing deaths. But it's really not ideal for the sow for all kinds of reasons that should be obvious. That's a long time to be confined in a small space.

The thing I'm delighted to find is the existence of this site by a couple of agriculture researchers in the UK, which is focused on providing resources and research on ways to allow sows to farrow (give birth) with much less restriction for the animals. There are recommendations for many kinds of operations and pointers to many kinds of evidence - based systems, complete with plans for how to design each system and a list of what each can accomplish for sow, piglets, and caregiving staff.

Each of the options are set up with contact information for the people who designed it and instructions about how to go about finding a system to suit farmers' needs. There's also research sections explaining how we know what welfare provisions improve quality of life for both sow and piglets, plus lists of assurance schemes farmers can use to market their products as ethical to consumers. It's really cool and well designed, and it makes setting up changes in pig operations relatively straightforward and feel easy to do. It's such a nice piece of communication. I like it a lot.

[vegance]

imagine being stuck in a cramped plane seat for your entire life, on a plane packed with people. or picture living day in, day out, in the same house, staring at the same four walls, seeing the same four faces every single day. the stress, the discomfort, the sheer boredom – most people would find this horrific, regardless of age, education or intelligence. it would be torture.

But somehow, we're supposed to believe that the pigs in those tight farrowing crates are just fine with it, right? And that elephant cooped up in the same enclosure day after day – must be living the dream. the fish swimming laps in its aquarium, showing all the signs of zoochosis– but hey, it's not like it's smart enough to feel, right?

its all fine, because it has to be, right? impossible to know if the animals in these situations are suffering, they can't talk after all

[ovaruling]

animal agriculture remains a feminist issue. it enslaves female animals who are subjected to sexual torture at the hands of male humans—on top of already suffering forced insemination and lifelong forced birth with barely an inch to move as standard “humane” practice.

via dominionmovement:

“TW: r*pe, sexual assault, animal abuse.

We wish we didn't have to share this. We wish it had never happened.

On February 11th 2024, hidden cameras installed by investigators from FTP at a Victorian piggery caught a worker r*ping a female pig (sow) who was confined in a farrowing crate.

Just minutes after others have left the building and the lights have been turned off, the worker is seen approaching the sow and beginning to penetrate her with his hands. He then pulls down his pants, penetrates her with his penis and proceeds to r*pe her.

We did not expect to capture this and reported what we found to authorities as soon as we could. We cannot publish this footage on social media, but we have made it available on our website, alongside other photos and footage of standard, routine cruelty at the same facility.

Why have we published it?

Because as sickening as it is, we think people deserve to know that this is what happens inside Australian animal farms. While what happened to this pig was the actions of a deeply disturbed individual, it could only happen because of conditions that are inherent to the Australian pig meat industry.

This horrific act should never have happened, and we need urgent action from the government to make sure it never happens again.”

[unsister]

" that looks like it hurts. "

         ❛   afraid it comes with the territory,   mister farrow.   ❜   there are too many opportunities for one to prick themselves upon grey hollow;   the girl herself forgets she too can catch her finger on a barbed edge.   between her teeth are two ball-point pins as her hands were thoroughly occupied with a needle and thread until the blood began to well.   it is with a hiss she further acknowledges the injury.   surveying the damage,   it looked worse than it felt,   which was frequently the case with sewing related wounds.   having already invited enough hazards for the day the pins are removed from her mouth and laid on the wayside.   

         ❛   it's nothing,   just a little sting now there would be real hell to pay if i got blood on this costume.   ❜   she is crouched before the player upon a stool.   a means to diminish her stature so she may survey each hemline and measure for adjustments.   abandoning her perch she sifts through her materials crate until she comes upon a box of bandages.   dressing the punctured skin is second nature to her,   quick work,   there are several plasters on her other hand from prior misgivings.   ❛   i'd have to remake the trousers from scratch when opening night is less than a week away.   i may be here often but costumer is only one of many hats i wear.   ❜   this jesting tone is also typical,   cordial yet revealing nothing.   

         ❛   i don't think you and the rest of your lot could afford my overtime rate.   ❜   as if they were paying her a cent to begin with.  

BLOODY PROMPTS FOR SPOOKY SEASON ˖ ✃ ( accepting !

[libertylifestyle]

3. Vegan living is a moral obligation

This year I've graduated to level 30 vegan after practicing this abolitionist stance for the last 14 years. Level 30 vegan means you check the ground for bugs when you walk, you're a potatovore and you commit arson whenever you free animals from farms.

I'm just kidding but not about the 14 year anniversary. I became vegan back in March 2011 after watching the shocking and visceral documentary Earthlings. It was one of the best life decisions I've ever made, on par with quitting driving and tying my pipes to disable my ability to pump a baby into this unjust existence.

I've shown that documentary to others in an attempt to free them from their apathetic slumber but with no success. I still don't understand how people can watch something so intense and not be motivated to change their behaviour.

Even better than that documentary is the most important speech you'll ever hear by Gary Yourofsky. I link it to most of the videos I post on Youtube in the description. Gary was the best animal rights activist ever in my opinion.

So why is veganism a moral obligation? I can't believe I actually have to write a post explaining something that should be common sense but clearly isn't, otherwise animal slavery would be a thing of the past by now. I already explained the true seven deadly sins in the previous post and the animal product industry violates all seven. I'm gonna get creative and put our transgressions against our fellow mortals in terms of the 7 forms of theft.

Murder

We murder animals by the tens of billions and possibly even trillions every year if you include all the marine animal lives. Murder is obviously wrong but humans love to lie to themselves by conveniently excluding the animals used to fuel their addictions. Even in most dictionary entries of the word, animals are excluded. There is no such thing as humane slaughter, that is an oxymoron. The humane thing to do is not to murder. It doesn't matter whether a cow gets a knife to the throat or a chicken gets electrocuted. The level of brutality is irrelevant. It's all evil. If it's not obvious enough that they don't consent, all animals resist when we try to slaughter them. Maybe, just maybe that means it's not a right.

Assault

I've never bore witness to more brutal assault, even in horror movies than that which we inflict upon the most vulnerable of creatures. Animals are hung upside down, kept in tiny cages and farrowing crates, kicked, stabbed, beaten, dismembered, scorched and all manner of brutal cruelty you can imagine by bored and desensitized slaughterhouse workers. It's a level of pain and suffering that most of us cannot even begin to imagine, nor would we even want to.

Rape

The first thing that comes to mind is the cows on the world's dairy farms. The bulls forcibly have their semen taken from them and the cows have a fist shoved up their vagina to impregnate them. They even call the devices rape racks in the industry which is a device used to restrain the animal so that they can be violated.

Trespass

Countless hectares of natural habitat are destroyed to clear land for growing crops to feed to animal slaves. In the process, the homes of countless animals are destroyed and their lives are often taken too. It is an extremely inefficient way to feed humans and could be drastically reduced if we just grew the crops directly for our consumption. Even for the captive animals, they are trespassed upon when they are pulled from their cages or pastures and physically forced to march to their deaths.

Theft

Milk, eggs, honey, leather, wool, fur, silk and down. These are but a few of the things we steal from them. They are viewed as units of production and are genetically modified to produce that maximum amount of "product" for our insatiable greed. This genetic modification destroys their dignity and reduces them to an inferior version of their former selves. In a way you can say we also steal their majesty, and that is probably the most reprehensible crime of all.

Coercion

They're coerced to have their beaks trimmed, their tails cut, to be castrated, to be imprisoned, have a hook through their bodies, separated form their families, teeth pulled with pliers and even have a tube shoved down their throats to be force fed as with geese in the foie gras industry. Their free will choice is violently stripped from them without mercy.

Deception

The animals are deceived by many farmers who raise them in the pastures only to truck them off to slaughter on a whim. The people who consume them are deceived by billion dollar marketing campaigns promoting health benefits for consumers as well as imaginary welfare for the animal victims. The deception runs deep in every avenue of society. The flip side of deception is gullibility, Billions of eerily gullible people accept this narrative of pure satanism towards animals.

No other practice on earth comes close the immorality of what we do to animals in the name of food, entertainment, clothing, pet ownership and testing. Fortunately these practices don't go without consequence for us. Human enslavement is an inevitability when we subjugate animals. Why? Because it forms the attitudes required to ruthlessly dominate those that are seen as lesser beings. Our violence against animals retaliates against us.

It is a mental illness to want to control and commodify others. It comes from the natural law expression of fear, which is the opposite of love. Psychopathic control freaks have a fear of not having control over other beings.

As for the majority of the population, the most common reason they eat animals is because of lifelong conditioning and a strong addiction to uric acid in meat and casomorphins in dairy products. They lack the mental fortitude to admit they have been duped and to change course to a more moral way of living. It's comfortable to be apathetic and go along with the crowd. Hence why only a tiny percent of the global population is vegan.

The good news is that veganism is gaining far more social acceptance than it had when I started back in the day. The vegan products have multiplied 10 fold on those supermarket shelves. No longer is there just tofu and soymilk at our disposal. It has never been easier to have delicious alternatives for all the animal products we redundantly consume.

I'm no ignorant optimist either. I highly doubt I will ever see a vegan world in my lifetime because I see so many carnivore and keto clowns pushing their satanic diets onto a naive circus audience via major social media platforms. These posts are extremely popular compared to the amount of traffic vegan media receives.

People love to think of themselves as good people but when it's time to actually walk the walk the excuses are usually endless. Only a few rare individuals are open to pointing the finger inwards and saying, "Fuck I've been deceived all this time, it's up to me to make it right." They hate to say the three magic words: "I was wrong."

Vegan living is a moral obligation if we want to create a freer world not only for the animals but for ourselves too. It is an impossibility to have human freedom without animal freedom. It is also an impossibility to have animal freedom without human freedom because the same attitudes of domination and exclusion would still be present. Unfree humans also have their information censored and buried by algorithms, which makes it significantly harder for animal freedom to manifest.

What's more is the moral obligation of speaking up for the victims of this indefinite holocaust. I shamefully admit that I have performed poorly over the years with this arduous task. Fortunately tens of thousands of activists have done the work worldwide and that is why we see a more vegan friendly world now than ever before in human history. The numbers of active people are hitherto clearly inadequate and we are still only at the base of morality mountain.

[farzanaaktar]

Pig Farming Cruelty: An Urgent Call for Ethical Reform

Pig farming, a significant component of the global meat industry, is often marked by practices that cause immense suffering to the animals involved. The industrialization of pig farming has led to conditions that prioritize efficiency and profit over animal welfare. Understanding the cruelty inherent in pig farming is essential for advocating for ethical and humane treatment of these intelligent and social animals.

Confinement and Living Conditions

The cruelty in pig farming begins with the severe confinement of animals in intensive farming systems. Pregnant sows are often kept in gestation crates—narrow metal enclosures that are barely larger than the animals themselves. These crates restrict the sows' movement to the point where they cannot turn around or lie down comfortably. The confinement leads to physical and psychological distress, causing severe health issues such as pressure sores, lameness, and weakened muscles.

After giving birth, sows are moved to farrowing crates, which are similar to gestation crates but allow for slightly more movement to enable nursing. However, these crates still severely limit the sows' ability to interact with their piglets, leading to frustration and stress. Piglets are often weaned prematurely, disrupting their natural development and causing further distress.

Routine Mutilations

To manage the behaviors that arise from the stressful living conditions, piglets are subjected to routine mutilations without anesthesia. These procedures include tail docking, teeth clipping, and castration. Tail docking involves cutting off a portion of the piglet's tail to prevent tail-biting, a behavior induced by the stress of confinement. Teeth clipping is done to prevent piglets from injuring each other and the sow during nursing. Castration is performed to reduce aggression and prevent the meat from developing an undesirable odor known as "boar taint."

These mutilations cause acute pain and long-term suffering. The lack of pain relief during these procedures highlights the disregard for the piglets' well-being in the pursuit of managing intensive farming conditions.

Transport and Slaughter

When pigs reach market weight, they are transported to slaughterhouses under harsh conditions. The transport process involves loading pigs onto trucks, often in extreme weather conditions, with little regard for their comfort or safety. Overcrowding, poor ventilation, and long journeys without adequate food or water lead to heat stress, dehydration, and injuries.

At the slaughterhouse, the high-speed processing lines and inadequate stunning methods result in many pigs being improperly stunned. Consequently, some pigs remain conscious when they are killed, experiencing significant pain and fear. The use of electric prods and rough handling further exacerbates their suffering.

Environmental and Human Health Impacts

The industrial pig farming industry also has severe environmental and human health impacts. The waste produced by large-scale pig farms contaminates soil and water, leading to air and water pollution. Manure runoff can cause algal blooms in water bodies, harming aquatic life and ecosystems. The emission of greenhouse gases, such as methane, contributes to climate change.

The overuse of antibiotics in pig farming to prevent disease in overcrowded conditions has led to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a significant threat to public health. Additionally, the consumption of pork from industrial farms has been linked to various health issues, including heart disease and certain cancers, due to the high levels of saturated fat and cholesterol.

Advocating for Change

Addressing the cruelty in pig farming requires comprehensive reform. Improved animal welfare standards are essential, including banning gestation and farrowing crates and requiring pain relief for routine mutilations. Implementing and enforcing humane handling and transport practices can significantly reduce animal suffering.

Consumers play a crucial role in driving change by making informed choices. Reducing pork consumption, opting for plant-based alternatives, or choosing meat from higher-welfare sources can pressure the industry to adopt more humane practices. Public awareness campaigns and education about the realities of pig farming are vital for fostering a more compassionate and ethical food system.

Conclusion

Cruelty in pig farming, as it currently stands, involves significant cruelty and suffering for the animals. From severe confinement and routine mutilations to harsh transport and inhumane slaughter practices, pigs endure immense physical and psychological distress. By advocating for better welfare standards, supporting sustainable and humane farming practices, and making conscientious consumer choices, we can work towards ending the cruelty in pig farming and creating a more ethical and sustainable future for all animals.

[obaline]

Défendons les cochons

[devoted1989]

They spend three months, three weeks and three days in gestation crates, and a minimum of 21 days in farrowing crates. They give birth, on average, twice a year.

Image found on Pinterest.

[queerpyracy]

i would love to someday be able to engage with food writing that isn’t either anti-fat or full of absolutely deranged takes about animal ag that place artificial insemination and castration in the same category as farrowing crates and botched slaughter

[tuhinnseo]

Intensive Pig Farming: A Deep Dive into Its Practices, Impacts, and Alternatives

Intensive pig farming, also known as factory farming, has become a dominant method of raising pigs for meat production worldwide. This system is characterized by high stocking densities, controlled environments, and a focus on maximizing production efficiency. While it has revolutionized meat production, intensive pig farming raises significant concerns regarding animal welfare, environmental sustainability, and public health. This article explores the practices, impacts, and potential alternatives to intensive pig farming.

Practices in Intensive Pig Farming

Intensive pig farming involves several key practices designed to increase productivity and reduce costs.

Confinement Systems: Pigs are typically housed in large, confined spaces such as gestation crates, farrowing crates, and finishing pens. These systems severely restrict movement, preventing pigs from engaging in natural behaviors like rooting and foraging.

Controlled Feeding: Diets are carefully formulated to promote rapid growth and efficient feed conversion. Pigs are often fed a high-energy diet consisting of grains, soybeans, and other protein sources.

Breeding Practices: Selective breeding is used to produce pigs with desirable traits, such as fast growth rates and lean meat. Artificial insemination is commonly employed to maximize reproductive efficiency.

Health Management: To prevent disease outbreaks in high-density environments, pigs are routinely given antibiotics and vaccines. This practice, while essential for animal health, raises concerns about antibiotic resistance and residues in meat products.

Impacts of Intensive Pig Farming

While intensive pig farming has increased meat production and lowered costs, it has several adverse effects.

Animal Welfare Issues: The confinement and intensive management systems used in factory farming can lead to significant animal welfare problems. Pigs often suffer from physical and psychological stress due to lack of space, social interactions, and environmental enrichment. Common welfare issues include lameness, respiratory problems, and behavioral disorders such as tail-biting.

Environmental Degradation: Intensive pig farming generates large amounts of waste, which can lead to soil and water pollution if not managed properly. Manure runoff can contaminate waterways, leading to nutrient pollution, algal blooms, and dead zones. The industry also contributes to greenhouse gas emissions, particularly methane and nitrous oxide, which are potent climate change drivers.

Public Health Concerns: The routine use of antibiotics in pig farming can contribute to the development of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a serious public health risk. Additionally, crowded and unsanitary conditions increase the likelihood of disease transmission between animals and from animals to humans, potentially leading to zoonotic diseases.

Economic and Social Issues: The industrialization of pig farming has led to the consolidation of farms and loss of small-scale, traditional farms. This shift can undermine rural economies and communities, concentrating wealth and power in the hands of a few large agribusinesses.

Alternatives to Intensive Pig Farming

Addressing the negative impacts of intensive pig farming requires exploring and implementing alternative approaches.

Pasture-Based Systems: Raising pigs on pasture allows them to engage in natural behaviors, improving their welfare. Pasture-based systems also reduce the environmental impact by promoting soil health and reducing waste runoff.

Organic and Free-Range Farming: Organic and free-range farming practices prioritize animal welfare and environmental sustainability. These systems prohibit the use of antibiotics and synthetic chemicals, relying instead on natural disease prevention and holistic management practices.

Integrated Livestock Systems: Integrating pig farming with other agricultural activities, such as crop production, can create synergies that enhance sustainability. For example, pigs can be used to recycle crop residues and manure can be applied as fertilizer, reducing the need for synthetic inputs.

Technological Innovations: Advances in technology, such as precision farming and alternative protein sources, offer potential solutions to the challenges of intensive pig farming. Precision farming techniques can improve resource use efficiency and animal health, while plant-based and lab-grown meats provide sustainable alternatives to conventional pork.

Finally Intensive pig farming has enabled significant advancements in meat production, but it comes at a considerable cost to animal welfare, the environment, and public health. As awareness of these issues grows, there is a pressing need to explore and adopt more sustainable and humane farming practices. By supporting alternative systems such as pasture-based, organic, and integrated livestock farming, and by embracing technological innovations, we can work towards a more ethical and sustainable future for pig farming.

[shadseo]

The Grim Reality of Pig Farming Cruelty: A Call for Ethical Practices

Pig farming, an essential component of the global food industry, is often portrayed through idyllic images of happy pigs roaming green pastures. However, behind this facade lies a grim reality of cruelty and exploitation that warrants urgent attention. Despite advancements in agricultural technology and animal welfare standards, the mistreatment of pigs in industrial farming continues to persist, raising ethical concerns and prompting calls for reform.

One of the most distressing aspects of pig farming cruelty is the confinement of pigs in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions. In industrial-scale operations, pigs are often confined to cramped cages or pens, deprived of space to move freely or engage in natural behaviors. This confinement not only causes physical discomfort but also psychological distress, leading to stress-related behaviors such as aggression and stereotypic movements.

Furthermore, the use of gestation crates and farrowing crates exacerbates the suffering of pigs. Gestation crates, typically used to house pregnant sows, are so small that the animals are unable to turn around or lie down comfortably. This prolonged confinement not only causes physical ailments such as pressure sores and muscle atrophy but also deprives sows of the opportunity to exhibit maternal behaviors. Similarly, farrowing crates, designed to confine lactating sows and their piglets, restrict the mother's movement and prevent her from providing adequate care to her offspring.

The practice of routine mutilations, such as tail docking, teeth clipping, and castration, is another disturbing aspect of pig farming cruelty. These procedures, often performed without anesthesia, are aimed at reducing aggression and preventing injuries in overcrowded environments. However, they inflict unnecessary pain and suffering on the animals, undermining their welfare and dignity.

Moreover, the widespread use of antibiotics in pig farming contributes to the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, posing a significant threat to public health. In industrial pig operations, antibiotics are routinely administered to prevent disease outbreaks and promote growth, leading to the proliferation of drug-resistant pathogens that can spread from animals to humans through direct contact or consumption of contaminated meat products.

In light of these issues, there is a growing demand for more humane and sustainable alternatives to conventional pig farming practices. Advocates for animal welfare argue for the adoption of higher welfare standards, such as providing pigs with access to outdoor space, enriching their environments with straw bedding and enrichment materials, and phasing out the use of confinement systems like gestation crates and farrowing crates.

Furthermore, transitioning towards pasture-based or free-range systems can offer pigs the opportunity to express natural behaviors, improve their physical and psychological well-being, and enhance the quality of pork products. By prioritizing animal welfare and environmental sustainability, such systems align with consumer preferences for ethically produced food and contribute to building a more compassionate and resilient food system.

[orcinus-veterinarius]

For the record, I think the animal agriculture industry is far from perfect and in need of much improvement, particularly the pork and poultry branches.

[pigequipmentscom]

In farrowing houses, sows require lower temperatures than piglets. If the temperature in the house is higher than 16ºC, the sow's appetite will start to decrease; in reality the farrowing room temperature that can be achieved is between 18 and 20°C. In production, warming cover are often added to the piglet area, so as to control the house temperature at a lower temperature suitable for sows, and at the same time ensure a higher temperature in the piglet area.