This Little Piggy Went to Market

My family owns a pig farm in the outskirts of Manila, and i went out for a tour.

i know that pigs in some factory systems are treated WAY worse than these buggers, but parts of the deal here in Manila are still pretty sad.

Here's some tidbits for you.

Boars for breeding have wonderfully large testicles.

They are led to the jack off area, where some in heat females are hanging out, to get the pheromone action going. After a a few sessions, the males become accustomed to hopping on the humping apparatus, and dig it. they will release 12+ oz of pig jizz to announce their satisfaction.

The females are inseminated w/ swirl-tipped sexy plastic tubes.

Pregnant sows get stuck in small cages so they can only sit or stand, but can't turn around. this is so that they don't burn off too many calories working out. Growing pudgy pig fetuses get dibs on calories.

Baby pigs are born. They are very cute.

They suckle their mama's teats, while she remains immobilized in a tiny cage. The mothers look disturbingly comatose, lying there while their babies rollick and roll and squabble over available nipples.

It's sad to think that the miracle of birth is only a step on the path to a life of fattening up and slaughter for these creatures. Minimal slaughter takes place on the farm, mostly just for sick pigs who get viruses or unsaleable for other reasons. Those little piggies cried wah wah wah all the way to the incinerator. (actually they're killed first, and their meat is tested for usability).

The piggery is also undergoing hard times, due to recent bizarrely fluctuating prices of feed, oil, fuel, etc. 4000 pigs may wind up destitute if things shut down.

Also, i learned that 2 years ago, the pig farm workers formed a union, which also almost sunk the operation. most staff ended up jobless, and now the union takes on most of its workers for 5.75 months maximum in order to allay increased worker rights. Which is pretty shitty, but unemployment is so high in the Philippines that it almost sounds generous to give more people a shake.

Here in the Philippines, vegetarianism and environmentalism are little understood, so i've been explaining myself repeatedly. i'm happy to learn a lot more about the meat industry side of the equation, but surprise, surprise, i am happy as ever to essentially be veg. Even if i have noticed that i'm skinnier than usual. Yuck.