Grocery Stores Against Piglet Abuse.

After Mercy for Animals released their latest investigation into abuse of piglets in pork industry, Safeway, Costco, and Krogers announced they would suspend all pork purchasing from the offending producers.

An undercover investigator from Mercy for Animals caught employees at Iowa Select Farms committing abuses against sows and piglets in their care. Male piglets were thrown across the room, had their tails and testicles ripped off, and mother sows were filmed in tiny metal cages so small they couldn’t turn around. Mercy for Animals immediately took the film to Iowa Select Farm’s biggest purchasers and convinced them to help.

Grocery store chains Safeway, Costco, and Krogers, some of Iowa Select’s largest customers, have agreed to stop buying pork from the offending company until a thorough independent investigation can be done.

It’s frightening to think that Iowa is trying to criminalize undercover investigations like this one. Even the worst abusers can prepare for a scheduled inspection. It’s when someone risks their own personal safety to catch animal abusers in the act that the industry is truly forced to change.