The Truth About Pork Farms

If watching the film “Okja” on Netflix hasn’t made you question where your food comes from, perhaps this article will do the trick.

Pigs by nature are social creatures, who thrive in outdoor environments (like most wildlife) not only enjoying their surroundings but benefitting them through instinctive activities such as tilling the ground with their snouts and providing much needed fertiliser to the earth.

The “free range life” is ideal for animals and is particularly important in ensuring that livestock is fit for human consumption as well as provides dignity to the lives of the animals themselves. However, factory farmed pigs face some of the worst conditions known within the industry.

Animal rights activists and farming bodies (that regulate farm trade), even liken the conditions of commercial pig factories to a scene out of a horror film and in a state of sheer depravity.

The Conditions:
With over-crowding being the norm, farms are cramped with little room for movement or resting. The floors are often made of hard wooden slats so excrement can be easily washed away, with the claustrophobia causing the animals to become aggressive due to lack of stimulation and movement.

The diets:
Pigs are commonly fed cereals and hormone intense diets in a bid to fatten them up in record time for sale. Imagine a body builder given steroids in a few weeks in order to go from a shrimp to Arnie. A fete no singular body could handle healthily.

Their bodies:
Not only are tails removed in a process called “docking” (which is illegal) to avoid aggressive pigs biting each other’s off, but the teeth of piglets are painfully clipped down to avoid chewing when breast feeding, a competitive task in and of itself as not enough milk is produced for the amount of piglets forcefully bred on a regular basis.

The final process:
Potentially the most troubling part of the whole process, pigs are gassed in groups in order to cut the costs of killing them in abattoir settings. The process is not a pleasant one, with lobby groups attempting to persuade farmers to use other options that are more humane.

While the processes mentioned sound like a scene from a nightmare, consumers play a huge part in this tragedy, often being the ones to blame as our need for ample amounts and cheaper meats are putting a strain on rural farmers to keep up with demand.

However, you can ensure that your pork comes from a cruelty free environment by purchasing meats from a free range butcher. Groups such as Cannings follow stringent measures to ensure that their grass-fed pork is of a high quality and guarantees that cruelty isn’t a a part of the equation.

For more information on how you can purchase meat that won’t cost you your conscience or the planet, visit a Cannings butcher near you or take advantage of their online delivery service https://canningsfreerangebutchers.com.au/ where you can request quality meats and seafood be delivered straight to your door.