Agricultural News
Prestage Farms Offers Response to HSUS Undercover Video
Fri, 03 Feb 2012 05:32:52 CST
The following statement has been released by the ownership of Prestage Farms- based in Clinton, North Carolina- and is a response to the undercover video claimed to have been shot on their farm near Goodwell, Oklahoma:
Prestage Farms has a long-standing history of meeting high-quality animal care standards. This is why Prestage Farms takes any claims of animal neglect or abuse very seriously in order to seek the facts and take appropriate actions.
In response to an undercover video released today by the animal rights group Humane Society of the United States, Prestage Farms' Ron Prestage, DVM said, "We recognize our moral and ethical obligation to provide for the responsible treatment of our animals. Any willful mistreatment or neglect of animals is unacceptable. Prestage Farms takes animal well-being very seriously and has a history of implementing programs that help to train our employees on proper animal care, handling, and transporting procedures."
"The video focuses primarily on the use of gestation stalls and depicts this production practice as being cruel to the animal. Prestage Farms has production systems for both group housing and individual housing. We respect the right of farmers to use different housing systems because we know that good animal care is the result of the individual commitment of those who care for the animals as well as sound production practices. Whether raised in groups or individual housing, we are committed to sound animal care."
"We have already initiated an internal investigation to assure that company policies and procedures are being followed. If a determination is made that any employee of the company engaged in activities contrary to the policies they agreed to follow, we will take disciplinary action as appropriate, including termination of employment, as is provided in our animal welfare policy. This has been done before when a violation of our policies has been identified."
Prestage Farms is a family-owned pork production company founded in 1983 and employs over 1800 employees operating in North Carolina, South Carolina, Iowa, Mississippi, Alabama, Texas and Oklahoma.
They also have a statement of animal well being that they indicate is their guiding principle in handling the pigs that live on their farms- click here for that statement.
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