Federal Cover-Up of Barbaric Factory Farms

[Common Sense]

I was driving around Iowa, Nebraska and Wyoming on a solo road trip this summer. Throughout Nebraska there are these beautiful rolling hills with cows scattered among the grasslands.

I thought it was pretty ideal for these cows and more in line with humane farming practices. That was until I talked to a few locals that informed me that these cows were just there to ween off their mothers and that they would soon be put into giant feed lots where they would be fed corn and antibiotics in cramped lots until they were ready for slaughter.

I saw a few of these giant feed lots. Not a pretty site.

[Mister D]

I get all of my beef from Simply Grazin' Farms in Skillman NJ. It's not that far away but all I have to do is walk down the block because Whole Foods made a deal to carry their beef. They eat organic hay during the Winter.

[Private Pickle]

The evidence is clearly the evidence in this case, unless you're suggesting the activists in question somehow staged piles of dead, rotting piglets and sows being confined into cramped pens.

In this case I'm sure evidence was not altered. That doesn't negate my point.

[Peter1469]

I am lucky enough to have a year-round weekly farmers market a mile from my place.

Quick summary: Activists went inside an industrial pig farming operation in order to film the cruel treatment and deplorable conditions that these animals are subjected to as a matter of course and rescued two dying piglets in the process. What ensued was a multistate "pighunt" by the FBI.

You might be wondering why, in a time of actual terrorist threats, natural disasters, and generalized social unrest, the FBI would be committing any resources at all, let alone a substantial amount of them, trying to find two two piglets who would have been unceremoniously discarded by the factory farm from which they were rescued. The answer is quite simple: The US government is acting on behalf of massive agricultural corporations who are desperate to hide the systematic torture and maltreatment of farm animals from public view. That's it.

For my own part, I've always found industrialized farming operations cruel and backwards, but I've never really done anything about it except object to it in the abstract. That ends now. I refuse to continue mindlessly supporting this industry with my money. I will commit to being more consciousness about the animal products I consume. I cannot promise I will stop supporting them 100%, since I, like most middle class Americans, operate under certain economic constraints that makes it somewhat difficult to only consume humanely raised animals, but I will DEFINITELY be reducing my consumption of these products and making a sincere effort to stop consuming them entirely in the coming years. And this change of heart is precisely why the US government, which is nothing more than the armed wing of a corporate oligarchy, wants to silence animal welfare activism, because it is so effective.

[Agent Zero]

It might be useful to see if Sessions ever got any money from Smithfield.

Wouldn't be surprised. I'm sure he has received a goodly amount from the agricultural industry.

As do many Republicans.

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[Agent Zero]

In case the chart doesn't show.

https://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/loo...trID=C00359075