Smithfield-China sale

Pigs as "pork production"

                                  

The way it was

News of a $4.7 billion deal for the sale of Smithfield Foods, Inc. to China is the worst news ever for pigs already enduring massive suffering on Smithfield farms. 

Smithfield, the world's largest producer of pigs for slaughter, says the deal aims to increase the supply of high quality, safe pork to China. 

But what does it mean for the pigs? 

A reader commenting on the story in the New York Times said it all:

"Smithfield tortures millions of pigs each year to bring the American public their pork products. With this purchase, the Chinese will have access to standards and practices that are abhorrent to animal welfare. Industrialized pig CFAO's are polluting the land around them, polluting local water sources, and contributing to global warming. With this purchase the need for millions more pigs to feed a hungry Chinese market will all but ensure that these practices  continue. The Chinese have greater confidence in American produced products, be they gadgets or food. I just wonder how long we will allow this needless suffering of millions of animals to continue. How healthy can consuming an animal who has suffered their whole lives be?"

Read "Needing Pork, China Is to Buy a U.S. Supplier" and scroll through the comments here.