Excerpts from an Expose' a titled " Bringing Home The Bacon "

Written by the Humane Farming Association (www.hfa.org)

Here a Crate, There a Crate

After impregnation the sow is locked in a narrow metal gestation crate. The width of the crate varies from 18 to 24 in., and the length extends just barely beyond the sow's own body. She is restrained in this unbedded, cement-floored crate for her entire pregnancy--nearly four months. She is unable to walk or turn around.

She is fed at one end of the crate, and her feces collects the other. Some crates are so narrow that simply standing up and lying down requires strenuous effort. On some factory farms, the sow is literally tied to the floor by a short chain were strapped around her neck. Deprived of all exercise and any opportunity to fulfill her behavioral needs, she lives in a constant state of distress.

Piglets, Pain, and Profits

Near the end of her pregnancy, the sow them moves from the gestational crate to yet another restraining device, the farrowing crate. Against all her natural instincts, she must give birth to piglets, and nurse them, eat, sleep, defecate, and drink, stand, and lie in the same cramped space.

The nursing period is cut drastically short by the premature separation of the piglets from their mother. The sow is immediately re-impregnated --- and the then sent back to an even bleaker existence in the gestation crate. This vicious cycle is repeated over and over again until the sow's "productivity" wanes, and she is sent to slaughter.

Drugs and Pork

Among the wide variety of hazardous drugs used in pork production is sulfamethazine. This drug is primarily used as a growth stimulant and to control the disease, which is so rampant in the polluted paid factory environment.

Though the safety of sulfamethazine was never proven, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) buckled under pressure from drug companies and has permitted its use in pork production since the 1970's. This irresponsibility on the part of the FDA has grave consequences. In 1988, the National Center for Toxicological Research released studies proving that sulfamethazine is carcinogenic. It is estimated that over 70 percent of pork producers are using sulfamethazine. "

       - end of quote from Humane Farming Association

"The thing that bugs me is that he will think the FDA is protecting them. This isn't. What the FDA is doing and what people think this doing are as different as night and day. "

- Herbert Lay, M.D., former FDA commissioner

- From back cover of: Natural Cures "They" Don't Want You To Know About by Kevin Trudeau, 2004

Gestation Crates Outlawed in Eur0pean Countries:

In 1988, Sweden outlawed many factory farm practices. They require gestation crates be phased out by 1993.

In 1991, Great Britain required gestation crates be phased out by 1998.

COME ON Fellow Americans !!! We don't have to accept this cruelty.  Read on and join the movement.  Your help is needed!!!

(Following are excerpts from: Farm Sanctuary News, Winter 2007)

http://www.FarmSanctuary.org

On November 7th, citizens across Arizona went to the polls and overwhelmingly voted

"YES on Proposition 204 ", an initiative to ban the use of gestation crates and veal crates, 2-foot-wide enclosures where animals are confined so tightly they cannot even turn around. With this historic vote, Arizona became the second state in the United States to outlaw gestation crates ( following Florida which passed a similar initiative in 2002 ), and it became the first state to been veal crates.

Farm sanctuary was a primary backer and steering committee member, along with the humane Society of the U.S., Ariz. humane Society and animal Defense League of Arizona. Together, along with thousands of cheering citizens throughout Arizona who volunteer their time and energy to the campaign, we achieved a major victory for farm animals. The law, set to go into effect in 2012, has already created repercussions across the United States.

Agribusiness had considered the Arizona initiative to be a " must win " battle, and spent millions of dollars, from factory farm promoters across the U.S., including the National pork producers Council and the Farm Bureau. 200,000 signatures were collected on the street to generate this initiative. All of the agribusiness attempts to thwart Proposition 204 failed, and it was approved by an overwhelming margin of 62% to 39%.

Thousands of volunteers and activists helps to make Arizona's Proposition tool for a successful campaign for farm animals. The results of their time, passion and compassion will eliminate it leased 16,000 gestation grace from the state of Arizona--and keep factory farms that use them for setting up shop in that state.

Many other countries have banned cruel that three farming systems, and a growing number of citizens and lawmakers are recognizing the need for farm animal protection is in the U.S.. These victories are just beginning of the change that we can achieve for farm animals.

- end of excerpt