USDA, or the United States Department of Agriculture, is facing scathing criticism after a horrifying undercover video of a Hormel pork processing plant emerged online.
The video, which was captured by a volunteer of Compassionate Over Killing, a nonprofit animal rights group, shows sick pigs being dragged across the floor, beaten with paddles, and struck repeatedly to the point of immobility. According to Washington Post, the identity of the volunteer, who covertly filmed the video through a period of several months, has not been revealed since he is a still an employee at the Austin plant of Quality Pork Processors Inc, a supplier to meat-industry giants Hormel Foods Corporation.
The disturbing video is the latest in a string of undercover videos showing alleged animal abuse at meatpacking plants across the United States. Only last month, Tyson Foods Inc. said it fired two employees at its Mississippi poultry facility after animal-rights group Mercy for Animals released footage showing workers improperly slaughtering chickens, reports the Wall Street Journal.