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Stew Lilker’s

Columbia County Observer

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Pork Giant's Sale to China Could Put Pig Promises in Jeopardy: Dark side to makin' bacon

TALLAHASSEE, FL - Last week's big business story about the sale of Smithfield Foods to a Chinese company puts a "pig promise" in peril.

After the Humane Society of the United States exposed the treatment of pigs at a Smithfield factory in Virginia, the company promised to make changes, including expanding the cramped cages that didn't allow the pigs to move. Now, Paul Shapiro, the society's vice president for farm animal protection, is worried about the fate of those factory farm improvements if the sale to the Chinese firm is approved.

Links:
Smithfield Press Release
Humane Society Slideshow
Undercover at "Smithfield Foods"
Humane Society Story

"As terrible as animal welfare in the U.S. agricultural industry is, it is even worse in China," Shapiro said, "so there's a real concern about that here."

Smithfield's chief executive issued a statement saying the company - the largest pork producer in the United States - does not anticipate any changes in the way it does business. Shapiro sees that as a good sign.

"Fortunately, the modest animal-welfare policies that Smithfield does have seem to be remaining in place, even in light of this new information," Shapiro said. "However, we need to be vigilant and those policies need to be strengthened."

China's Shuangui International announced a week ago that it would buy Smithfield Foods for $4.7 billion. The cash deal still must be approved by a federal government panel that reviews such transactions with foreign companies. 

Photos and links added by the Observer

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