After animal rights activists protested at a San Francisco Costco store on Wednesday and showed a video of pigs dying at a Southern California slaughterhouse, an executive at a Virginia slaughterhouse denied the activists' claims that the pork processing company is violating federal laws on the humane treatment of livestock.
Activists, with Direct Action Everywhere, are calling on Costco to drop Smithfield Foods as a supplier, where an activist secretly recorded video by placing cameras inside a pit at the Smithfield Foods-owned Farmer John slaughterhouse in Vernon, where dozens of pigs can be seen writhing as they are gassed with carbon dioxide.
In response, Jim Monroe, vice president of corporate affairs for Smithfield Foods in Smithfield, Virginia, issued a five-sentence statement Thursday morning refuting Direct Action Everywhere's claims.
“Smithfield is committed to the safety, health and comfort of our animals and strictly follows all approved laws, regulations and best practices for the humane stunning of animals prior to harvest. We comply with all humane handling standards and stunning regulations for livestock under the oversight of the USDA Food Safety and Inspection Service,” Monroe said in the statement.
However, activists argue that the company is violating the Humane Slaughter Act, a federal law that aims to reduce the suffering of livestock during slaughter.
As the images played Wednesday night at the Costco Wholesale store on 10th Street in the city's South of Market neighborhood, audio of the pigs screaming played through speakers across the street.
Monroe defended the practice of gassing in her statement, noting that "The USDA, the American Veterinary Medical Association, the World Organization for Animal Health, and many other animal health authorities recognize carbon dioxide stunning as a humane stunning method for food animals. Carbon dioxide stunning rapidly renders pigs analgesic."
The company’s website states that “As the world’s largest pork processor and the largest pork producer in the United States, we recognize our responsibility to continue to lead the industry in animal care.”
This, he notes, "means maintaining our firm commitment to the safety, health and comfort of our animals and providing disease prevention, regular veterinary care, biosecurity and safe and comfortable housing at every stage of our animals' lives."
With information from Bay City News.
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