Independent Media Centre Ireland     http://www.indymedia.ie

Pig Brutality

category waterford | animal rights | other press author Thursday June 23, 2005 01:32author by B Wright - AFARauthor email berniew at esatclear dot ieauthor address PO Box 4734. Dublin1.author phone -

Article: Labour fury at 'Brutal' culling of pigs

The Department of Agriculture has been slammed over claims a farmer was
forced to kill his pigs with a sledgehammer. The incident took places on
a farm in Co.Waterford in 2002 but details only emerged this weekend.
The department had suspected the 4,300 pigs were being fed with
carbodox-an illegal substance linked to cancer in humans-and insisted
they be destroyed.

The Sun newspaper 20/06/05
Article: Labour fury at 'Brutal' culling of pigs

Start:

The Department of Agriculture has been slammed over claims a farmer was
forced to kill his pigs with a sledgehammer. The incident took places on
a farm in Co.Waterford in 2002 but details only emerged this weekend.
The department had suspected the 4,300 pigs were being fed with
carbodox-an illegal substance linked to cancer in humans-and insisted
they be destroyed.

But, because of fears of contamination, the porkers could not be sent to
a slaughterhouse and had to be killed on the farm-at the farmers
expense. A stun-gun was being used but it broke and about 50 pigs were
killed with the sledgehammer. The farmer said: "It was awful, but they
forced me to do it. I had no alternative."

Labour agricultural spokeswoman Mary Upton, called for a full
investigation yesterday. She claimed: "It appears there was little
support available to the farms when he was faced with the problem of
slaughtering 4,000 pigs and this appears to have contributed to the
shocking scenes. "It is simple not good enough for the Department of
Agriculture to shrug its shoulders and say the department inspectors
present made no adverse comments in their reports."

A department spokesperson said nothing illegal had taken place during
the cull. He added that a court case was pending over the allegations
that illegal substances had been fed to the animals.


http://www.indymedia.ie/article/70395

Indymedia Ireland is a media collective. We are independent volunteer citizen journalists producing and distributing the authentic voices of the people. Indymedia Ireland is an open news project where anyone can post their own news, comment, videos or photos about Ireland or related matters.