A recent joint investigation by animal welfare groups Compassion in World Farming and the European Coalition for Farm Animals found that most of the 250 million pigs farmed for meat each year in the European Union are raised in illegal conditions.

Violations of a pig welfare law passed in 2003 include ignoring the ban on cutting off tails and depriving basic natural behaviors by denying straw bedding and other materials.

Worse still, US-based Farm Sanctuary reveals that labels such as “humane,” “free range,” “free roaming,” “grass fed” and “organic” mislead the public into believing animals raised with these certifications are treated humanely.

The group’s “Truth Behind the Labels” report reveals that “naturally raised” meat and eggs deemed “cage-free” may in fact come from animals confined by the thousands in large warehouse-like barns, wallowing in their own feces.

The “Certified Humane” program, for example, does not require that pigs or chickens be allowed access to the outdoors; feedlot confinement of beef cattle is allowed, and cruel physical mutilations such as hen debeaking and tail docking are allowed in some circumstances. 

Such deplorably inhumane, filthy and crowded conditions are the very kind that have been breeding pathogens such as the swine flu virus. Today, cases continue to spread, with a global death toll reported to be more than 28,510, although experts have acknowledged that both the cases and the fatalities are too numerous to confirm even a fraction of the true total.

The European Union continues to experience increasing cases, especially in such countries as Austria, Bulgaria, Hungary, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland and Romania. In addition, Canada recently reported 5 more swine flu fatalities in one week bringing the total to 425, with India announcing 7 in one day for a total
of 1,177, and the UK recording three more deaths with at least 66 new hospitalizations in the past week. We thank the Farm Sanctuary, Compassion in World Farming and the European Coalition for Farm Animals for raising awareness of the unfathomable suffering endured by animals for the human palate.

Our prayers for the world’s people who have been afflicted with livestock-related ailments, and that the next disease may be prevented through the halt of all meat production in favor of the truly humane organic vegan lifestyle.

http://www.evana.org/index.php?id=52356&lang=en http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/campaigns
/summary.html
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gene-baur/the-truth-behind-so-calle_b_431540.html
http://www.france24.com/en/20100122-swine-flu-toll-reaches-14142-who