Tyson Eliminates Contract After Pig Abuse Revealed

An undercover investigation of West Coast Farms made national news after NBC broadcasted footage of workers of the Oklahoma-based pig facility punching and kicking the animals, castrating them without anesthesia, hitting them with boards, and slamming piglets’ heads onto the ground. After the video aired, West Coast’s contractor Tyson Foods cut ties with the farm and confiscated the animals. “We’re extremely disappointed by the mistreatment shown in the video and will not tolerate this kind of animal mishandling,” says Tyson Foods spokesman Gary Mickelson. According to the investigator, abuse of this nature was a regular occurrence and despite reporting the mistreatment to the owner, no effective action was taken to curtail it.