end of their peak reproductive years at about 24 to 30 months of age. They are then sent to
slaughter for their meat which is turned into sausage links, sausage patties, bologna and
pepperoni as it is too poor quality to be used in anything but the highly spiced meats.
in Canada almost 1.5 million sows live in these conditions. The majority of these live all of
their adult lives in barren, metal barred cages about 2 feet wide by 7 feet long. These
"gestation crates" are so small that the sow cannot turn around. Gestation stalls are used to
keep as many pregnant sows as possible in an enclosed space. Sows in these stalls are only
allowed to take one step forward and one step back. This is where the sow must eat, sleep,
urinate and defecate. Her floor consists of barren slatted concrete, no straw, and her waste
falls between the slats into a pool of raw sewage beneath her. Her and her barn mates
(sometimes up to 5,000 in one barn) will be forced to breathe in this toxic waste for all of their
lives, 24 hours a day. And things are only getting worse: because of selective breeding, sows
are becoming larger faster, meaning many are so large that their sides permanently rub on
the bars along the sides of the crate, causing pressure wounds and near immobilization.
Often in order to lay down a sow must extend her legs into the pen of the sow beside her
risking crushing injuries from her neighbour lying on her legs. For a sow with arthritis, this
pain must be excruciating.
months, 3 weeks, 3 days). All of her natural instincts to make a nest to keep her soon-to-be
born piglets safe and warm are thwarted as she is provided with no straw to dig in.
Immediately before giving birth, the sow is moved to a "farrowing crate" a cage just as
barren that will keep her separated from her piglets but still allow them to nurse off her.
Within a few days (10-14) her piglets will be taken from her and the insemination is repeated
again.
compromised state by the time they are transported to slaughter. They often suffer from
crippling arthritis, which fuses the bones in their legs together causing extreme pain and
lameness. They also suffer other bone and joint problems such as weakened bones and
fractures. Many develop mastitis in one or more teats a painful infection that causes
inflammation and tenderness. Because of selective breeding, their bodies grow too quickly
for their hearts to keep up causing them to be prone to severe respiratory distress and heart
failure.
station, where she will be unloaded with electric prods, regrouped with pigs she does not
know and reloaded onto another trailer with electric prods. She will have gone from a
temperature controlled air conditioned or heated barn to whatever the temperature happens
to be on that day anywhere from 35°C to -45°C with no provisions made for her no water,
no food, no protection from the sun between the slats in the trailer burning her skin or from
the icy cold steel she is pressed against (sometimes causing sows to freeze to the sides of
the trailer).