Shocking Investigation Unveils Torture of Mother Pigs and Piglets

Video footage obtained in a new PETA undercover investigation reveals horrific abuse to mother pigs and their piglets at a supplier to the largest pig-killing company in the world, Smithfield Foods.

In addition to the confinement of mother pigs to cruel "gestation crates" so small that the animals can't even turn around or lie down comfortably, the following cruelty was documented at Smithfield supplier Murphy Family Ventures, LLC:

• Workers dragged injured pigs out of the facility by their snouts, ears, and legs before killing them with a captive-bolt gun. Some of the pigs had "KILL" spray-painted on their backs.
  
• A farm supervisor admitted that he violently beat pigs, saying of one that he "cut the sh** out of his God damn nose with a f***ing gate rod."
  
• Workers cut off piglets' tails and pulled out piglets' testicles—without using any pain relief—as the baby animals screamed in pain in front of mother pigs.
  
• Two workers and a supervisor hit and jabbed pigs—sometimes in their faces and near their ears—with 2-foot-long metal gate rods on 31 of the 41 days that PETA's investigator worked.
  
• A worker gouged the eyes of four pigs with his fingers. Pigs suffered from ailments including cysts, sores, and a uterine prolapse for which they were denied treatment.

View the video footage taken by PETA's undercover investigator for more examples of the horrific cruelty to animals at Smithfield's supplier.

Every vegetarian saves more than 100 animals a year from abuse by the meat industry. To learn more about going vegetarian, order PETA's free "Vegetarian Starter Kit" today.

Smithfield claims that it has fired workers as a result of the investigation, but the company has not yet provided any details.

Take action: Complete the form below to urge Smithfield Foods to demand that Murphy Family Ventures fire all the workers responsible for this cruelty and work with PETA to enact meaningful animal welfare reforms. Also, tell Smithfield that while it's good that it has promised to phase out the use of gestation crates at its own farms, the company needs to make the transition faster and require independent suppliers to phase out these cruel devices too.