Piglets also are castrated without anesthetic. Sows are repeatedly impregnated to maximize the number of piglets born. While nursing, they're confined in stalls so narrow that they can hardly move. The calves become anemic, weak, and prone to infection. Except for two brief feeding periods a day, the calves are left in total darkness.
Many animals die en route to slaughter.
During transport they are severely crowded, denied all food and water, and exposed to any weather extremes. At the stockyard those too sick to walk are dragged to slaughter or left to die. Routinely the killing is extremely inhumane. The federal government and most states exempt standard agricultural practices from animal cruelty statutes. Production of animal-derived food inflicts enormous suffering and death.