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topicnews · October 23, 2024

Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigation video reveals disturbing animal cruelty at a PQA Plus certified farm

Mercy For Animals’ undercover investigation video reveals disturbing animal cruelty at a PQA Plus certified farm

New report highlights widespread PQA Plus certification failures and documents atrocities on certified farms

LOS ANGELES, Oct 23, 2024 /PRNewswire/ — Mercy For Animals exposes horrific, brutal animal cruelty at a Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certified pig farm New undercover investigations. A recently published one white paper by Mercy For Animals in collaboration with Animal Outlook documents an analysis of a decade of covert recordings from Mercy For Animals and Animal Outlook, revealing a disturbing pattern of systemic violations at numerous certified facilities. The results highlight significant violations within the PQA Plus programwhich calls into question its credibility and raises serious concerns about its effectiveness in ensuring high standards of animal welfare and public health.

Mother pigs in gestation crates

The investigation, conducted in early summer 2022, captured disturbing footage of extreme animal cruelty on a Midwestern farm:

  • Pigs scheduled for euthanasia were mistakenly shot in the head multiple times with a captive bolt pistol, causing extreme pain, fear and a slow, painful death.

  • Pigs suffering from painful prolapses are treated violently, including slaps, knees and hits with paddles.

  • Day-old piglets had their testicles torn out and their tails cut off without any pain relief.

  • Pigs are confined in cramped gestation crates.

  • Sick and injured piglets are ruthlessly thrown to die in piles containing dead piglets.

“A mother pig on the farm was shot three times in the head with a faulty captive bolt gun before being killed, causing unimaginable fear and pain,” said Paula Tejeda MoncriefInvestigator, USA, at Mercy For Animals. “This is not an isolated case. When animals are hidden in factory farms, the most devastating horrors become routine. Marketing labels intended to reassure the public are often just empty words.”

Developed by the National Pork Board, PQA Plus was intended to provide a reliable standard for pork production and reassure consumers of the industry’s commitment to animal welfare and food safety. However, research by Mercy For Animals shows that the program’s certification may be largely unreliable because it fails to prevent systematic cruelty or ensure compliance with even basic standards.

“Animal welfare science shows that industrial pig production harms the health and welfare of millions of pigs raised each year the United States,” said Dr. Walter Sánchez-Suárez, animal welfare scientist at Mercy For Animals and veterinarian. “This activity also raises significant concerns about zoonotic diseases, food safety and environmental sustainability. Despite industry claims, evidence shows that the Pork Quality Assurance Plus program is not an effective tool for mitigating these issues. Therefore, the program is vulnerable to misleading consumers through humanewashing.