In an average week, more than 2 million pigs are slaughtered in the U.S., almost exclusively to be processed and eaten by people as “pork” products—primarily bacon, ham, and sausage. In 2017, about 135 million pigs were sold in the U.S., and 95% of those were raised on “farms” with 5,000 or more individual pigs.

The meat industry repeatedly impregnates female pigs to raise and kill their newborn piglets. These female pigs will spend their entire pregnancies trapped in a “gestation crate”—a metal cage that is so tight, she can’t even turn around.

The myth of the mini-pig - AKA miniature pigs, micro mini pigs, dwarf pigs, pygmy pigs and teacup pigs. Teacup is not recognized by any breed standard, other than backyard breeders’ attempts to create smaller and smaller pets. Unfortunately, it leads to unhealthy, under-sized pigs being bred together, which increases and perpetuates health problems in their offspring. These so-called mini pigs are actually potbellied pigs and can be 100-200 pounds when full grown. Breeders may send pigs to their new homes with inappropriate feeding instructions that stunt pigs’ growth, leading to fragile bones that break easily, as well as many other health problems. These unfortunate pets are essentially starved at key points in the body’s growth cycle, at the hands of their unsuspecting new families. Potbellied pigs are often abandoned or left at shelters because people do not understand the commitment they are getting ready to make, or the pig gets too big, or they display undesirable traits that are common for their species.