PETA asks governor to close pig farms
In light of the swine flu craze, PETA has asked Gov. Brad Henry to shut down pig farms in Oklahoma. Big farms are the source of lots of deadly diseases, such as swine flu, according to PETA. Here’s their letter:
Dear Governor Henry:
I’m writing on behalf of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and our more than 2 million members and supporters worldwide regarding the swine influenza outbreak.
The number one question on people’s minds is, “How can we prevent swine flu?” Epidemiologists are unanimous in their assessment of the true Ground Zero: filthy factory farms, which might as well be called “flu farms.” Considering that Oklahoma is one of the top producers of pig flesh in the country, I urge you to prohibit the construction of any new factory farms in your state and get existing farms to clean up their acts immediately. Taking decisive action now could prevent Oklahoma from becoming the next epicenter of a deadly outbreak.
Your state’s filthy factory farms are breeding grounds for disease. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 30 to 50 percent of pigs raised for food in the U.S. have been infected with some strain of swine flu. Top independent public-health experts have been issuing warnings for years that the meat industry’s greedy and cruel practices—including forcing tens of thousands of animals to live their entire lives in cramped and filthy crates, pens, or sheds in which the animals’ urine and feces collect beneath them or is fed into stinking outdoor waste lakes—leads to devastating human illnesses. As animals on factory farms in the U.S. produce about 250,000 pounds of excrement per second, flies can also become a significant problem, spreading bacteria from one area to another.
Factory farms are bad neighbors. When factory farms move into communities, the pollution that comes with them often results in increased rates of neurological disorders, respiratory diseases, miscarriages, bacterial infections, diarrhea, and stomach ailments; sometimes, the contamination leaves people permanently disabled or even dead.
Factory farming is bad for Oklahoma. Please consider the following:
· In March and May 2001, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) sampled drinking-water supply wells and found nitrate concentrations as high as 15.7 mg per liter (the acceptable level is 10 mg per liter). Nitrates from nearby pig factory farms had contaminated an underground source of drinking water for four nearby households.
· When a man drowned in a 6-acre, 25-foot-deep manure lagoon at Murphy Farms in Ellis County, Okla., it took 18 days for his body to be recovered.
In light of these facts, will you please safeguard your citizens’ health by instructing Oklahoma factory farms to clean up their facilities immediately and by banning the construction of any new factory farms? Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely,
Tracy Reiman
Executive Vice President
Staff Writer Carrie Coppernoll
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