Invitation to discuss hog production accepted
[ https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/lette ... -accepted/ ]
By Ruth Pryzner Letters to the Editor August 4, 2021
I accept Cam Dahl’s invitation to join the conversation about modern agriculture, pig production and public trust. [ https://www.manitobacooperator.ca/news- ... riculture/ ]
A couple of years ago I visited the Greenfield Maple Leaf hog facility. ML Greenfield takes sows that have been confined almost their entire lives in crates a little bigger than their bodies and “teaches” them how to live in groups with other sows on concrete.
The sows seemed content lying around. A young sow got up and was in obvious pain. I asked the Maple Leaf reps to ask the barn workers to take a look at her and keep an eye on her. The reps seemed surprised at my request. I was puzzled.
Feeding time came. I had to bury my emotions. As the sows arose to walk to the feeding station they were all stiff, limping and had obvious difficulty moving around. I immediately understood the depth of the horrible existence these sows had been living in what the hog industry has marketed for the past 25 years as state-of-the-art, humane hog production practices. . . . .
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