Salette Andrews: No ‘humane’ way to treat hogs
Regarding the Aug. 23 Point of View “On cutting edge of care, sustainability”: Jan Archer claimed that hog farming is “safer, more humane and more transparent than ever before.”
Safer for whom? For the hogs, it is 100 percent fatal, and most are killed at only 6 months, far short of their natural lifespans of 15 years. And certainly not for the slaughterhouse workers, who have one of the highest injury rates in the country.
More humane for whom? There is no humane way to imprison someone who wants to be free. There is no humane way to clip the teeth, amputate the tails and remove the testicles of fully conscious infants.
If the pork industry is truly interested in transparency, why did it support the ag-gag law that prevents whistle-blowers from reporting abuses?
Archer also claimed to “love” her animals. How can anyone profit from intentionally inflicting pain, suffering and death on someone they love? Humans have no nutritional need for hog flesh or any other form of animal flesh or secretions.
If someone believes it’s wrong to cause unnecessary suffering and death to anyone, then the only ethical option is to become vegan.
Salette Andrews
Chapel Hill
This story was originally published September 5, 2016 at 6:00 PM with the headline "Salette Andrews: No ‘humane’ way to treat hogs."