In agriculture, pigs are trapped close together in bins inside a large building without ever seeing the light of day. This intensive farming causes the death of more than 25% of piglets after birth.
In nature, piglets gradually wean from their mother until they are about 6 months old.
In agriculture, they are suddenly taken from their mother after 4 weeks. As a result, the piglets begin to suck on the ears and tails of each other, resulting in various pains and wounds.
All male piglets are quickly castrated to avoid the presence of a sex smell from their flesh. Previously, castration was done without anaesthesia. In Norway today, a local anaesthesia is required, but the piglets get no pain relief in the days that follow and must bear the open wounds until they heal. Annually about 1.5 million pigs are slaughtered in Norway and many, many more worldwide.
