010602 Humane Society Calls for End to Hog Factories

Washington - The Humane Society of the United States, the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than seven million members and constituents, is calling on consumers, communities, government officials and farmers to band together to end the suffering of millions of hogs raised every year in factory farms across the United States. The HSUS's Halt Hog Factories campaign, which The HSUS is launching today, will target these groups with information on the inhumane treatment of animals that is inherent in factory hog farming. The campaign's goal is ending the intensive confinement of these intelligent and social animals.

"People know about environmental pollution from hog factories, or the effect on family farmers," said Patricia Forkan, executive vice president of The HSUS. "And The Humane Society of the United States is very concerned about those issues as well. But we want to raise awareness of the inhumane treatment that hogs endure on factory farms. It's one more good reason to reject the hog factory system."

According to a recent poll, Americans agree. The poll, conducted by Penn, Schoen & Berland Associates and commissioned by The HSUS, indicates that 67% of Americans think that pigs should be treated humanely, with only 25% saying that inhumane treatment is the price we must pay for inexpensive pork products. In fact, 72% say they would pay more for products from pigs raised more humanely.

The HSUS's Halt Hog Factories campaign is asking people to take personal action by refusing to purchase products made from hogs raised under intensive confinement on factory farms, which constitute the majority of pork products on the market. The HSUS is offering consumers free "Halt Hog Factories" calling cards that can be given to grocery store and restaurant managers, announcing their intention to reject hog factory products. The HSUS is also distributing a free "Halt Hog Factories" static-cling decal to be displayed on home, business and car windows to show support for the campaign and raise awareness of the issue.

"With help from consumers and farmers, we will make the Halt Hog Factories symbol ubiquitous," said Forkan. "We want to inject this symbol into our national consciousness and make it instantly recognizable as standing for protecting animals, promoting family farms, and preserving rural communities."

In the year 2000, nearly 98 million hogs were slaughtered in the United States, and the vast majority were raised in hog factories. At such facilities, breeding sows spend most of their lives in a gestation crate about the size of the back seat of a compact car. She can't turn around or avoid her own waste. Antibiotic use is routine to prevent disease and promote rapid growth.

According to David Kuemmerle, program manager for farm animals and sustainable agriculture for The HSUS, the conditions in hog factories cause suffering by denying the animals' most basic physical and behavioral needs. "These are highly active, intelligent and social animals who seek out close contact with each other. Hog factories prevent these natural behaviors," he said.

Hog factories aren't any kinder to the environment. A single hog factory can produce as much waste as a small town. Spills at hog lagoons have devastated waterways and are among the leading threats to water quality across the country. The HSUS is supporting environmentalists who are seeking a judicial remedy to the growing problems caused by hog factories.

It's not surprising that communities are becoming more adamant about keeping hog farms out of their neighborhoods. Frederick County, Md.; Brunswick County, Va., and others have banned or severely restricted hog factories. South Dakota passed a state constitutional amendment to ban ownership of agricultural land and livestock by non-family corporations. Colorado residents voted to stall the industry's growth in that state. The HSUS is part of a coalition of groups that hope to enact a ballot initiative in 2002 that would ban gestation crates in Florida, and is working with a number of groups in Iowa that oppose hog factories. More than 14 million hogs are currently raised in Iowa, the nation's top pork producing state, each year. Europe is in the process of phasing out gestation crates for hogs with the United Kingdom and Sweden imposing outright bans.

The Halt Hog Factories campaign is providing information on what individuals and communities can do to restrict or ban hog factories, and is providing a free informational brochure and fact sheets on issues related to hog factories. A dedicated Web site -- www.halthogfactories.org -- will provide up-to-date information on the issue and the Halt Hog Factories campaign.

"The combination of environmental devastation, the demise of the family farm and the inhumane treatment of animals should strike a lethal blow to the hog factories, but an uninformed consumer perpetuates a system that rewards the largest producers at the expense of human health, enviromental protection and the animals," concluded Forkan. "The best way to halt hog factories is for consumers to stop supporting them with their dollars."

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