G8 action: Soy feeds factory farms - who feeds South America?

liberated pigs leave message on manure deposits

Just before the start of the G8 summit in Heiligendamm, the action group "Liberate!" has accommodated the 8 world leaders in an industrial pig farm belonging to the Dutch pig producer Straathof. A clear message has been left on the walls of the factory farm: Smash G8, Liberate!
Eye witnesses of the action saw how 8 pigs escaped into freedom.

With this action, the activists aim to show the madness of the industrial
agricultural system, of which the G8 countries are among the main responsables. Activist Bettina Wertheimer explains: "Factory farms like these are examplatory of this system. On the one hand, in Europe it causes the mass exploitation and slaughtering of countless numbers of animals, and environmental pollution and diseases. On the other hand, the millions of pigs, chicken and cows are fed with (mainly genetically modified) soy from South America. There it leads to a deepening of social and environmental problems such as violent land conflicts and deforestation."

Factory farming in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern

The newly opened pig factory 'Quickhof Wendisch', situated near the village of Wendisch Priborn (near Plau am See), is part of pig-giant Straathof. Straathof owns
several pig factory farms in the Netherlands and Germany.
Another Straathof farm, with 10.000 pigs, caused years of protests by local inhabitants and environmentalists. In the summer of 2006, heaps of pig corpses were
lying rotting under the sun. Straathof has started juridical procedures for another
controversial farm nearby Alt Tellin (near to Demmin). This time for 10.000 sows who
can produce up to 250.000 piglets per year.
This part of Germany is quicly becoming the dumping ground of factory farms from
countries like the Netherlands and Denmark, that cannot expand any further at home.
The policy of the authorities of the region of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, supported by EU subsidies, encourages the expansion of factory farms like these, despite the fact that it generates only very few jobs, but a lot of pollution for the local community.

Soy production in South America

South America produces the soy that feeds the European animal industry and mainly benefits a small group of big landowners and agribusiness corporations. Soy monocultures of RoundupReady genetically modified soy do not generate jobs for people. They result in deforestation, land conflicts, and health crises related to the intensive spraying with the herbicide Roundup (glyphosaat), that kills everything except the soy that has been made resistant against it. Roundup also
pollutes water and air and destroys food crops on neighbouring fields.

Animal exploitation

For meat consumption, millions of animals are slaughtered every year. In Europe and
the US, meat production is heavily industrialised to produce large quantities of
cheap meat. In Europe, every year 151 million pigs are raised and grown fat in 6
months time, and then murdered. The action group states that there is no moral
justification for killing animals.

In action

The appalling animal industry provokes growing resistance from the population.
Action group Liberate! wishes to encourage everyone to take action to prevent this
industry from expanding further, like here in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern.

(High resolution photos can be sent to you on request: liberate8@gmail.com)

this is how a factory farm looks like in the early morning