Animal rights group claims truck driver beat hogs at Leidy's facility

Damon C. Williams, Bucks County Courier Times
·2 min read
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Image of pork product prepared and sold by Leidy's. The Souderton, Montgomery County-based meat producer is being accused of abusing a stable of pigs by animal rights group Animal Partisan.
Image of pork product prepared and sold by Leidy's. The Souderton, Montgomery County-based meat producer is being accused of abusing a stable of pigs by animal rights group Animal Partisan.

An animal rights group wants the district attorney to look into allegations a truck driver beat pigs being dropped off at a Souderton slaughterhouse.

Animal rights advocacy group Animal Partisan has filed with the District Attorney of Montgomery County a criminal complaint against Leidy's in connection with the alleged incident earlier this year.

The complaint claims a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspector witnessed the abuse on March 14, saying he heard someone yelling and hogs squealing and then saw a truck driver beat the hogs with a paddle.

"The hogs were terrified and they squealed as he beat them with the paddle hurrying them to get off the vehicle," the complaint reads. "The more he beat them the louder they squealed and he would not stop."

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Animal Partisan also claims the inspector eventually forced the truck driver to stop beating the pigs and cited Leidy’s for violating federal laws intended to protect animals at slaughter.

Leidy's president Chris Mulder said the company has not been contacted by either the District Attorney of Montgomery County or Animal Partisan, but takes animal welfare seriously.

"We reviewed this incident from March of 2022 and have determined that this was an isolated event that did not involve a Leidy’s employee, but rather an employee of a third party hauling service," Mulder said. "In addition, upon notification of the incident to Leidy’s personnel by a USDA inspector, Leidy’s personnel took immediate action requiring the hauling service to discipline and retrain the driver on proper humane animal handling procedures.

Mulder said the inspector noted that there was no visible injury to the hogs.

The complaint argues the driver's alleged behavior is animal cruelty under state law and Leidy’s should also be criminally charged since the truck driver committed the abuse while delivering pigs on Leidy’s behalf.

Animal Partisan counsel Will Lowrey said many people don't realize that animals sent for slaughter are protected by cruelty laws.

"While most people think of animal cruelty laws as protecting dogs and cats, these laws also apply in many meaningful ways to millions of pigs, chickens, cattle, sheep, and other animals used in agriculture and who are often abused or neglected on the way to slaughter or while on farms," he said. "Just because an animal is being used for food does not mean that there is a free license to abuse and mistreat that animal."

The district attorney's office has not responded to a request for comment.

This article originally appeared on Bucks County Courier Times: Leidy's Premium Meats accused of animal mistreatment