Factory Farms Mutilate Baby Pigs

Young piglets’ tails are cut off, and male piglets’ testicles are torn out, without the use of painkillers.

On factory farms, the following procedures are performed on piglets only weeks old. The pig-flesh industry refuses to use painkillers even though local anesthesia would cost about 1 penny per baby pig. ³⁵

“Castration”

A worker slices into a piglet’s scrotum and pulls out his testicles while the piglet screams and writhes in pain. Imagine asking a veterinarian to neuter your dog—but without pain relief. That would be a felony in most states.

“Ear-notching”

Large hunks of each piglet’s ears are sliced off with scissors to make identification patterns.

Workers cut piglets’ teeth, without the use of painkillers, in order to prevent them from biting each other out of boredom and frustration.

“Tail-docking”

Piglets have their tails cut off to reduce tail biting, a habit that arises from boredom and frustration in stressful factory farm conditions. Scientists testify that the pain is severe and continues for many days.

“Tooth-clipping”

The piglet’s incisor teeth are cut off with pliers that are similar to wire cutters so that they can’t cause injuries by chewing on themselves or their neighbors when the extreme confinement drives them insane. Imagine dental surgery without anesthetics.

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³⁵ Betsy Freese, “No Shortcut to Pig Welfare,” Successful Farming, Aug. 1999, p. 22.