Sick Pigs Shown At Swedish Farms - circovirus?
Pat Gardiner
little suggestion that the pigs were sick.
Now it emerges that the filming was of the sick bay - circovirus no
doubt - hence the secrecy.
"After giving medical treatment to the sick animals, and putting down
those seriously ill, there is nothing more that can be remarked on the
health of the pigs. He also said that the lack of straw and the filth
is due to a technical failure, but that this is not enough to excuse
conditions on the farm.
According to Robertsson, the pigs were not in the regular pens, but
in a treatment pen at the time they were filmed. The staff at the farm
were right in isolating them, but conditions were terrible, he said."
Everyone would rather hold up their hands to arguable cruelty exposed
by unpopular Animal Rights, than certain circovirus exposed by telling
the real story.
Pig Cruelty Shown At Swedish Farms
Updated 15:27
Swedish Radio News has published disturbing pictures taken at a pig
farm by an animal rights group which show the sort of scenes of animal
cruelty highlighted in Denmark back in May this year.
The Animal Rights Alliance say they have evidence of other farms
carrying out flagrant breaches of Sweden's tough animal protection
laws.
Swedes have always prided themselves that when it comes to meat,
buying Swedish is best. Confidence has always been high in the
stringent quality checks regarding the living conditions of animals
raised at Swedish farms and their subsequent journey to the kitchen
table.
Back in May this year Swedish Radio News broadcast a report that
lambasted the cruel methods used to raise pigs in neighbouring
Denmark. The critics said that Danish bacon might be cheap but at what
cost to the animal?
Now though an animal rights group in Sweden has filmed disturbing
images taken secretly at a pig farm which show the sort of scenes of
animal cruelty highlighted in Denmark - cramped pig pens, lack of
food, the animals covered in sores and even eating a dead pig on the
floor.
Swedish radio news which was given the tape, says the film is genuine
and received no comment when contacting the farmer involved, Lars
Hultstr�m, who is chairman of the association for Sweden's livestock
farmers, Swedish meats.
And the group, The Animal Rights Alliance say their film is not an
isolated incident, they've filmed at other farms in the country which
also breach Sweden's tough animal rights laws.
Now the media is investigating Sweden's animal health inspection
system which has recently changed authorities and is looking into just
how many times livestock farms are inspected every year.
Before the beginning of the year, when the responsibility for the
controls shifted from the municipality to the county council, Lars
Hultsr�m's farm was inspected every year.
"I think last time was January 2008 and it was I who carried out that
inspection. There was nothing bad to report then,"said Monica
�ngehult, responsible for these inspections in Flen municipality until
2009. The only complaint she ever remember having on the farm was a
lack of straw.
�ngehult is since 2009 working with the same kind of inspections on
county level and she says that the authority is planning a visit to
the farm on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Lars Hultst�m has been unavailable for comments all Tuesday but on his
mobile phone answer service he says that he is planning a "time-out
due to recent events". He says that the time out will last until the
investigation has been carried through- something that he welcomes.
"I have nothing to hide," he says on the recorded message.
Hultstr�m's time-out is from his post as chairman of the Swedish
Farmers Association, as well as from the company Swedish Animal
Healthcare. The latter handles the veterinary care of the animals at
the farm, and CEO Jan �ke Robertsson, told Swedish news agency TT that
they had already been to the farm Tuesday morning.
After giving medical treatment to the sick animals, and putting down
those seriously ill, there is nothing more that can be remarked on the
health of the pigs. He also said that the lack of straw and the filth
is due to a technical failure, but that this is not enough to excuse
conditions on the farm.
According to Robertsson, the pigs were not in the regular pens, but
in a treatment pen at the time they were filmed. The staff at the farm
were right in isolating them, but conditions were terrible, he said.
"This is very serious. Every case like this is an unfortunate incident
and reflects badly on all those that daily and hourly look after their
pigs, upholding the standard so unique for Sweden," he said to TT.
--
Regards
Pat Gardiner
Release and independently audit the results of testing British pigs
for MRSA and C.Diff now!
www.go-self-sufficient.com and http://animal-epidemics.blogspot.com/