The short BBC documentary shown recently high lighted the plight of some of the animals unlucky enough to live through the misery of intensive farming. The programme showed a small family and the variety of meats that they usually ate. It appeared that neither the parents nor their two young sons had really considered the conditions of the life of the animal before it became their meat and were shown, later in the programme, to be quite appalled at the filthy and cramped environments that some of the intensively farmed pigs were kept in. This revelation, it was decided, was to affect their future meat purchases, their consciences having being pricked enough for them to really think about the issue.
This really seemed to be the purpose of this documentary, to expose, (or remind, us for those more informed), of the suffering and misery behind the much of the packaged meat products we find in our food shops. Regarding the pig farming industry, it appears that the majority of the population know little. The father of the family believed that the pork he purchased had lived freely on fields in little metal huts, as he had seen locally. It seemed, that he wrongly assumed all pigs were reared in this way.
Of the 4 million farmed pigs, approximately 800,000 live out doors- for part of their life. Most pigs are intensively farmed and live in doors, although one farmer believed that even here there were variations regarding standards of living. He seemed confident of the quality of life he gave his pigs and his openness was to his credit. However, although they had straw bedding, his pigs seemed to be over crowded and lived inside all the time. The sow suckled her piglets on one side of a narrow framed cage, while they stretched over from the other side, ( for the piglets protection apparently). This was a sad and unnatural sight.
The piglets were removed after 28 days and appeared to be kept in a low enclosed pen, boxed in, so to view them, the farmer had to lift open the long wooden lid, and many dear little snouted faces peered out of their trapped enclosure! It seemed so cruel to see such innocence enslaved. Meanwhile their mother was out to be mated with again. This in itself highlights the abuse of one of God's creatures, imprisoned, powerless, forced to reproduce. The farmer felt his pigs were well cared for, but they were imprisoned. These intelligent creatures deserve to at least to have quality of life. What right do we have to deny them this?
The inspector, a pleasant faced vet came to check that standards were up to scratch and satisfied himself that the food, bedding and number of pigs per pen were all correct. The fact that none had seen the sunshine in their lifetime, let alone forage around in real soil, did not seem to matter at all. Perhaps this was because other pigs had a far worse existence? Some were filmed bunched up in tiny pens, living on concrete floors, slipping around in their own excrement, filthy dirty. But even this farms pigs had passed the assured food standard.
This documentary was really just an example of the type of cruelty animals suffer in this country, and put the standards set for what is considered to be acceptable living conditions in question, as they seem way too low.
Opportunities to film inside intensive farms are rare, suggesting that farmers could well be aware
that images of the way their animals are kept could affect the sale of their product.
The matter seems to be one that perhaps we could all do something about. The mother, in this
documentary, for example, was very affected by the images she saw and was prepared to make changes,
even if it meant paying more for her meat.
If we were all prepared to voice our concern, whether by pen or purse, intensive farming could vanish into history and so many farmed animals could be given the life they deserve.
31.Oct 2005
Letter sent on behalf of farmed animals that suffer.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Recently I saw the documentary on intensive farming (Inside Out, BBC one, 31st Oct) and it explained how pigs are kept on farms. I was shocked at some of the pictures shown and how horrible and neglected the pigs' bedding was. I believe that pigs should be allowed to run around outside and when they do need shelter, they should have little wooden or metal huts and their beds cleaned out regularly. I think that people forget that animals matter a lot and that they are people, only the ones without voices and perhaps because they can't speak, we don't know if they are unhappy. I can't answer you that, but I'm sure that they would want to run around, sniffing for little things to eat and not being horribly enclosed. I think a lot of cruelty goes on, but people in general don't see it. I feel enraged that the pigs are kept in such an environment of filth, bundled together, and then later being taken off and then killed, just so that the farmers can make large sums of money. It's disgraceful. What kind of life must those pigs have? I seriously want you to think about this and I would like in the future to receive well- informed updates regarding the welfare of farmed animals that serve us in our country. Please send me your thoughts on this matter, I would be most grateful.
Yours sincerely
Suzanah Edwards
© Pippa Ball 2005 The Erasmus Foundation.
The Erasmus Foundation, Moat House, Banyards Green, Laxfield, Suffolk. IP13 8ER. Tel: 01986 798682.