Farm Sanctuary Issues Statement on Fire at Illinois Pig Farm that Killed Thousands of Sows and Piglets

The second major fire at a pig confinement facility in three weeks in the
Midwest prompts organization to urge passage of pending legislation in the state
that would ban gestation crates for breeding sows
WATKINS GLEN, N.Y.--(Business Wire)--
Farm Sanctuary, the nation`s leading farm animal protection organization, today
issued a statement regarding the fire that killed an estimated 2800 sows and
thousands of piglets at a hog confinement facility in Schuyler County, Illinois
this week. The second major fire at a confined animal feeding operation (CAFO)
in three weeks in the Midwest prompts Farm Sanctuary to urge passage of Illinois
Senate Bill 1337 that would ban the use of gestation crates for breeding sows in
the state, among other confinement systems in use on factory farms. In early
April, an Iowa gestation crate facility burned to the ground killing 600
pregnant sows.

"The tragic events of the past few weeks call attention to the folly of factory
farming," stated Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary. "Had
they been given access to the outdoors, these sows could have had a fighting
chance to save themselves and their piglets."

The majority of sows bred to provide piglets for the pork industry spend most of
their lives inside gestation crates, 2-foot-wide metal enclosures that severely
restrict the animals' movement and thwart their natural behaviors. The animals
cannot walk, turn around or lie down comfortably, and studies have shown that
they suffer both physical and psychological disorders. Of the two structures
destroyed in the fire, one was a gestation crate facility for pregnant sows, and
another was a farrowing facility where sows are moved to give birth and nurse
their piglets in slightly larger crates. The piglets nurse for a period of two
to three weeks before they are removed from their mothers and sent to another
facility to be fattened for slaughter.

Baur added, "Keeping pigs in such intensive confinement poses several threats to
the animals` well-being. The heat generated by so many animals inside a building
is stifling, and the ammonia fumes from their waste are toxic. Enormous fans are
needed to keep the animals from suffocating, and a power outage for even a few
hours quickly creates life-threatening conditions for animals trapped inside.
When disaster strikes the animals are immobilized and helpless. We`ve seen this
with the fires of the past few weeks and the floods from last year on the
Mississippi river where thousands of pigs perished in CAFOs irresponsibly built
on flood plains. Unfortunately, in these factory farms, the animals suffer
regardless of any unforeseen disaster because the industry views and treats them
as mere production units."

Gestation crates have been banned throughout most of Europe, as well as in the
states of California, Florida, Arizona, Colorado, and Oregon, yet they remain in
use throughout Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, the center of pork production in the
U.S. In addition to urging the passage of anti-confinement legislation in
Illinois, Farm Sanctuary was instrumental in working on popular citizen ballot
initiatives in Florida, Arizona and California that effectively banned the use
of gestation crates in those states.

In June 2008, the Iowa State Department of Agriculture invited Farm Sanctuary
and a coalition of animal rescue groups to come to the aid of 68 pigs stranded
on a levee in southeastern Iowa, not far from Schuyler County, Illinois, as a
result of flooding in the Mississippi river that destroyed several hog
confinement facilities built on flood plains in the region. Today the rescued
pigs are living out their lives at sanctuaries throughout the U.S., many
residing at Farm Sanctuary`s national headquarters in Watkins Glen, N.Y.

More information about factory farming can be found at www.factoryfarming.com
and www.farmsanctuary.org.

Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization.
Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel
practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations,
legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and
direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y.,
and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who
have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about
the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at
farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.

Farm Sanctuary
Tricia Barry, 607-583-2225 ext. 233,
tricia@farmsanctuary.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009