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Sheriff To Look Into Pig Abuse On Iowa Farms

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The Associated Press

Published: September 18, 2008

WASHINGTON - An Iowa sheriff said Wednesday that he has launched an investigation into a videotape showing abuse of pigs at a farm.

The video, shot by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, shows farmworkers hitting sows with metal rods, slamming piglets on a concrete floor and bragging about jamming rods into sows' hindquarters. Greene County Sheriff Tom Heater said he had met with PETA representatives Tuesday.

"They provided us with what appears to be some really good information," he said. "Our next step is to secure interviews with potential suspects, and definitely make sure that there's no further abuse occurring down there; that's our main concern at this point."

Asked whether crimes had been committed, Heater responded: "It appears that there were. Yes."

On the video, obtained by The Associated Press, a supervisor tells an undercover PETA investigator that when he gets angry or a sow won't move, "I grab one of these rods and jam it in her anus."

The farm, located outside of Bayard, Iowa, about 60 miles west of Des Moines, is a supplier to Hormel Foods of Austin, Minn. PETA wants to use the results of the investigation to pressure Hormel, the maker of Spam and other food products, to demand that its suppliers ensure humane treatment of pigs.

Hormel spokeswoman Julie Henderson Craven called the incidents "completely unacceptable."
PETA is seeking prosecution of 18 people on animal cruelty violations. According to PETA Vice President Bruce Friedrich, the video shows eight people directly abusing animals.

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