Originally published December 3 2005
PETA files complaint against Smithfield Foods for neglecting injured pigs
by Mike Adams, the Health Ranger, NaturalNews Editor
Over the last 19 months, Smithfield Foods trucks carrying pigs have been involved in five deadly accidents, and the latest one has resulted in PETA filing a complaint against the food company for not seeking veterinary care for the 74 animals injured and killed by the effects of the crash.
Today, PETA filed a complaint with W. Parker Councill, commonwealth's attorney for Isle of Wight County, urging him to file criminal charges against Smithfield Foods for failing to provide emergency veterinary care to severely injured pigs.
PETA filed the complaint after a truck carrying 185 pigs to a Smithfield Foods slaughterhouse overturned on October 18, resulting in the suffering and deaths of 74 animals.
The incident marked at least the fifth deadly accident involving Smithfield trucks laden with pigs in Southeastern Virginia in the last 19 months.
Critically injured animals were finally shot with a captive-bolt gun and dumped into a Dumpster with a skid loader, but no effort was made to confirm that they were dead, in violation of American Veterinary Medical Association recommendations and despite the fact that PETA officials on the scene offered to provide a veterinarian to humanely euthanize critically injured animals, an offer that Smithfield officials refused.
PETA's complaint points out that in September 2004, a Smithfield truck overturned in Suffolk, killing at least 67 pigs and leaving dozens more severely injured.
In May of the same year, another truck transporting pigs overturned near Petersburg, and dozens of pigs suffered for hours without veterinary care.
PETA has been pushing Smithfield to improve animal welfare for years but to no avail.
Although Smithfield claims to have a model animal welfare program, the company is afraid to share even a single detail of it.
"No animal should be allowed to suffer as these pigs did," says PETA Cruelty Caseworker Daniel Paden, who witnessed the aftermath of this wreck.
"The law clearly requires that injured animals be provided with emergency care or killed humanely.
For more information and to view video footage of the crash scene, please visit PETA's Web site GoVeg.com/smithfieldaccident.asp.
A copy of the complaint is available upon request.
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