BACK  l  CONTENTS  I  NEXT

On Friday, February 8, 2002 Mercy For Animals shocked the Ohio Pork Congress’s Annual Awards Banquet when an activist took the microphone to give a “toast” in the memory of the innocent pigs that are tortured and killed in the production of pork.

The MFA activist confronted the crowd by stating the harsh realities surrounding the systematic murder of intelligent, gentle pigs. "I would like to propose a toast,” she said, “to the over 100 million pigs your violent and bloody industry kills every year for nothing more than a palate preference."

After completing the entire speech, with a poster reading “Choose Compassion Over Killing. Please, Go Vegan!” in front of her, security dragged her from the room while she yelled even more brutal facts about the pork industry. "Pork producers, you have a lot to be ashamed of,” she yelled to a stunned audience. “What you do to pigs before they become dinner is offensive. They never take a breath of fresh air until they’re on the backs of trucks headed for slaughter. They are genetically bred so that many can’t stand up without being in chronic pain. After living in a putrid smelling hell, they are finally hung upside down and their throats are slit, often while they are fully conscious.”

MFA director Nathan Runkle was tacked to the ground and arrested while videotaping the scene. He is being charged with criminal trespassing and disruption of a lawful meeting. Attendees at the banquet stole the camera and the video that captured the disruption. Representatives of the pork producers later attempted to give the police a fake tape. The pork producers were more concerned about capturing the tape that holds the brutal truth about the industry than detaining the activist who spoke out.

While activists inside the banquet confronted animal abusers, other activists held a vigil outside the convention center to educate the public. They held signs that illustrated the gentle and intelligent nature of pigs. The overall message of the night, and of every Mercy For Animals activity, was to “Go Vegan.”

Why is MFA raising such a stink over pork?

On factory farms, millions of pigs are tied to "dry sow stalls," which are small steel pens in which pigs are forced to stand on concrete slabs and lie in their own excrement. The stalls are so small that the pigs are unable to turn around, take even a single step, or lie down comfortably. These pens are so cruel that they have been banned in Switzerland, Sweden, and Great Britain.

Although pigs are naturally peaceful and social animals, they resort to cannibalism, because they are packed into crowded pens. The maddening depravity causes neurotic behaviors commonly found in such isolated and confined conditions. Pork producers figure into their profits and losses the sickness that is unavoidable in crowded, unsanitary conditions. Dysentery, cholera, trichinosis, and other diseases fostered by factory farming, cause suffering to the pigs, who are also commonly suffering from genetic mutation.

What can we, as compassionate individuals, do about this tragedy?

Go vegan. Stop supporting institutionalized animal cruelty with your grocery or restaurant dollars. Support tasty and healthy alternatives that are cruelty free. MFA can provide you with information to make the transition. A vegan diet is rewarding and delicious!

BACK  l  CONTENTS  I  NEXT