HSUS Files Welfare Complaint

The Humane Society of the United States has filed a complaint against Smithfield Foods, a major pork supplier for McDonald’s. Received by the US Securities and Exchange Commission, the complaint alleges that Smithfield Foods has falsely portrayed its animal-welfare standards in the video series “Taking the Mystery Out of Pork Production.” The videos claim that Smithfield raises animals in “ideal“ conditions and that their “every need is met”—HSUS says that gestation crates and painful procedures to remove the pigs’ tails, teeth, and genitals are the reality of the supplier’s animals, and that the company is violating the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, which prohibits the dissemination of false or deception information.