6 Crazy Things Done to Mothers in the Dairy, Egg & Meat Industry

Killing mother pigs with axes to their head

In the meat industry, some female pigs are unfortunately used for breeding pigs. These sows are continuously forcefully impregnated, which of course is not only physically exhausting but mentally draining as well.

During and after their pregnancies, sows are kept in tiny gestation or farrowing crates, so small that they are unable to turn around and can only stand or lay down.

Due to all the non-stop pregnancies and lack of mobility and exercise, it is very common to find these mother pigs in terrible health. Some sows even get to the point where they just collapse or can no longer get pregnant. When these mothers can no longer carry a pregnancy, they are disposed of, many times on the farm itself. New investigations have shown how “unviable” sows are being repeatedly hit with metal bars or poles and bludgeoned to death with axes or sledgehammers.

Slaughtering pregnant mother cows

Unbeknownst to many people, this is a very common routine that happens in the dairy industry.

In order to produce dairy, cows are forcefully impregnated every year so they can continue to produce milk to meet the growing demand, as cows can only produce milk when they give birth, just like humans.

Due to the very frequent pregnancies, dairy cows become worn out and start to produce lesser and lesser milk. When these mothers are no longer profitable to the industry, they are sent to slaughter while their daughters are forced to take their place and suffer the same fate as them.

Since dairy cows are impregnated about once a year with each pregnancy lasting about 9 months, many are sent to slaughter while carrying an unborn baby. A study held in a UK slaughterhouse revealed that 23.5 percent of the slaughtered cows were pregnant, from which 26.9 percent were in their third trimester.

Kidnapping babies from their mothers

In recent years, the practice of kidnapping babies from their mothers on dairy farms gained some more awareness. In order to produce milk, a mother must first give birth. And in order for us to obtain that milk, their baby will have to be taken away so they will not drink it.

This happens to all animals who are used by the dairy industry – cows, sheep, and goats and even buffalos and camels. Only a few hours after the mothers have given birth, their babies will be snatched away from them, either to be slaughtered for meat or forced to endure the same fate as their mothers.

Torturing babies in front of their mothers

In the pig meat industry, baby piglets are mutilated right in front of their helpless mothers. More than 95% of mother pigs used for meat are locked inside such small cages, they can’t do anything to defend their babies but watch as their babies scream in agony. Can we even imagine how helpless they must feel when they are forced to watch their babies scream as their testicles are ripped out, their teeth clipped and their tails cut? All without any forms of anaesthesia?

Creating genetically deformed mothers

Years of selective breeding in order to maximise profits and efficiency for the food industry have resulted in genetically deformed animals. Nowadays, even organic and small farms use breeds of genetically distorted animals. This leads to the animals suffering even more as their health deteriorates.

On dairy farms, mother cows have been bred to have huge udders in order for them to produce a lot of milk, almost 4 times more than they naturally would. Understandably, this affects the cow’s ability to walk easily and lay down comfortably in addition to promoting all sorts of health problems.

On meat farms, animals have been genetically modified to grow much fatter than they naturally would in a very short amount of time. This allows meat farms to gain more pounds of meat from each animal. For chickens, because they have been bred to grow so large very quickly, many times their legs give way, split or even break below them.

On egg farms, chickens have been genetically altered to produce eggs up to 30 more times than they naturally would. The red jungle fowl who is the wild ancestor of the domesticated chicken lays 10 to 15 eggs a year. However, in the egg industry, these animals have been modified to lay more than 300 eggs every year.

Laying so many eggs severely affects the hen’s health, longevity, and well-being. For example, laying hens are more likely to suffer from osteoporosis which causes bones to become weak and break more easily. In addition, laying an egg is a painful process which resembles in many aspects the process of giving birth.

Confining hens and sows in tiny cages where they can hardly move

Chickens, like snakes, are able to lay unfertilised eggs without a rooster. But in the eyes of a chicken, they would still regard these eggs as their normal, regular, fertilised eggs. Because of this, many hens have the natural instinct to lay on their eggs and keep them warm and protected.

However, in the egg industry, they are denied this and instead are forced to live for 2 to 3 years cramped together in small battery cages where they are unable to fully spread their wings and walk around.

In the meat industry, sows are also being kept in tiny gestation crates during and after their pregnancies. These crates are so small the mothers are only allowed to stand up or lay down and will never get a chance to turn around. They are also forced to eat and defecate in the same crate.

Rabbits reared for meat also suffer the same fate. A few of them are crammed into tiny cages with barely any space to move about, denying them the ability to adopt normal postures such as lying stretched out, standing with their ears erect, or rearing up to explore their surroundings. This affects not only their well-being but their bones as well. A lack of exercise can lead to weakened bones.