The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is investigating a Hormel supplier (HRL) for concerns of animal abuse.
The investigation from the USDA into how Quality Pork Processors, a supplier of raw pork to Hormel, treats pigs before butchering them was prompted by a video that was recorded by an undercover member of animal-rights group Compassion Over Killing. The video shows a man beating a pig to get it to move, reports The Wall Street Journal.
Quality Pork Processors has disputed the video. The supplier said that the employee in the video was caught not following the rules and was retrained. It said the matter was taken care of before it knew that the USDA was launching an investigation, WSJ notes.
The video sent to the USDA also shows how the pigs are stunned and killed for slaughter before being sent to Hormel. Compassion Over Killing claims pigs that show signs of movement in the video after being stunned were killed while still conscious. However, some experts claim that the animals will show small involuntary movements after the stunning, reports Minneapolis Star Tribune.
The video of the alleged pig abuse can be seen below.
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