Posted : June 20, 2011
Hollywood star calls for halt on 'factory' pig farm plans
Sheffield-born Hollywood actor Dominic West has attacked intensive pig farming, which he says not only affects local landscapes and smaller competitors, but also increases human illness by promoting MRSA.
Sheffield-born Hollywood actor Dominic West has attacked intensive pig farming, which he says not only affects local landscapes and smaller competitors, but also increases human illness by promoting MRSA.
Writing in the Daily Mail, Mr West – star of movies Chicago and 300, and hit TV series The Wire – called on readers to stop the spread of “factory” pig farms and guarantee the income of small-scale farmers by paying more for their produce.
He describes his objections to Midland Pig Producers’ plans for a 2,500 breeding sow unit in Derbyshire and highlights the spread of ST398 on European farms (issues previously reported in vetsonline.com), as well as alluding to apparent poor welfare and abuse of antibiotics in examples of intense systems around the world.
“If the factory farms were made to pay the real price of their production methods, small farms would out-compete them,” he said.
Mr West added: "We need to guarantee our small and medium-scale farmers a decent price for their products.
“Not just because new strains of MRSA should make us think twice but because once our traditional high animal welfare standards have gone, they will have gone for good. We cannot act quickly enough.”
To read the article in full, click here.
Do you agree with Mr West? Let us know by commenting below or emailing editor@vetsonline.com
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