The HSUS's Halt Hog Factories campaign is asking people to take personal action by refusing to purchase products made from hogs raised under intensive confinement on factory farms, which constitute the majority of pork products on the market. We want to inject this symbol into our national consciousness and make it instantly recognizable as standing for protecting animals, promoting family farms, and preserving rural communities. In the year 2000, nearly 98 million hogs were slaughtered in the United States, and the vast majority were raised in hog factories. At such facilities, breeding sows spend most of their lives in a gestation crate about the size of the back seat of a compact car. She can't turn around or avoid her own waste.
Antibiotic use is routine to prevent disease and promote rapid growth.
According to David Kuemmerle, program manager for farm animals and sustainable agriculture for The HSUS, the conditions in hog factories cause suffering by denying the animals' most basic physical and behavioral needs. These are highly active, intelligent and social animals who seek out close contact with each other. Hog factories aren't any kinder to the environment. A single hog factory can produce as much waste as a small town. Spills at hog lagoons have devastated waterways and are among the leading threats to water quality across the country.