fightinginthepigpenandreducesgainsinweight.Sincepigs
donot havebeaks,farmerscannotdebeak themto prevent
this, but they have found another way of eliminating the
symptoms without altering the conditions that cause the
trouble: they cut off the pigs’ tails.
According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture:
Taildockinghasbecomeacommonpracticeto preventtail
biting of pigs in confinement. It should be done by all
producersoffeederpigs.Cuttails1/4to1/2inchfromthe
bodywithside-cuttingpliersoranotherbluntinstrument.The
crushingactionhelpstostopbleeding.Someproducersusea
chicken debeaker for docking; this also cauterizes the cut
surface.^68
This isa doublydisgraceful recommendation.But beforeI
explainwhy,herearethecandidviewsofapigproduceron
tail docking:
Theyhateit!Thepigsjusthateit!AndIsupposewecould
probablydowithouttail-dockingifwegavethemmoreroom,
becausetheydon’tgetsocrazyand meanwhentheyhave
morespace.Withenoughroom, they’reactuallyquite nice
animals. But we can’t afford it. These buildings cost a lot.^69
In addition to more space, another possible remedy is
suggested by a leading farm animal researcher:
The probable underlying cause ... is that pigs are using
species-typical activities in an unusual way because no
suitableobjectisavailable.Thelowerincidenceoftail-biting