If you keep up with The Star Press, you may have read about a proposal for a CAFO in Muncie. A CAFO is a concentrated animal feeding operation or a factory farm.

Factory farms are packed with as many animals as they can fit under one roof, in Muncie’s case, over 10,000. Just last month, this CAFO was only going to be housing 8,000.

Pigs that are overcrowded in bad conditions develop diseases. In fact, more than 80 percent of pigs have pneumonia by the time they are slaughtered. These factory farms are cruel to the animals, separating piglets from their mothers and forcing them to live in a closed-off area with no sunlight.

Pigs bite their tails out of frustration for their surroundings, which farmers handle by cutting off their tails and teeth. Female pigs are artificially inseminated over and over again, being separated from their babies every time until they can no longer reproduce, and then they are sent to slaughter.

Our town would be horrified if a puppy farm with these same practices were to open up.

Why are pigs different?

Pigs are sentient beings as well, and they are actually smarter than dogs and even three-year-olds. They can even play video games. With a 2,000 plus increase in pigs in just a month, who knows how many more pigs will suffer in this factory farm.

As members of the Delaware County community, we need to make our voices heard and stand up against this cruel CAFO.

If you are in Muncie or surrounding areas and are interested in participating in activism for pigs and other farm animals, send me an email at lexinhammond@gmail.com. Together we can speak out for animals and fight as hard as we can for them.