BREAKING: Men Who Saved Dying Piglets From Smithfield Farm Acquitted on All Charges: What YOU can do!
BREAKING: In a win for the history books, Wayne Hsiung and Paul Picklesimer—who were on trial for felony burglary and theft charges in Utah for rescuing two dying piglets from a Smithfield farm, where they saw dead piglets and heard the desperate cries of mother pigs—have been acquitted on all charges.
PETA applauds these men for their bravery in doing what’s right, and we thank the jury for recognizing that saving lives is not a crime. Actually, Smithfield should be on trial for causing immense suffering to pigs. And personal responsibility is what it will take: Please introduce someone who eats pigs to Beyond or Gardein sausage right now. Don’t wait to do something useful to help stop the suffering of pigs.
Originally posted on October 5, 2022
In 2017, Wayne Hsiung and Paul Picklesimer of Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) filmed inside a Smithfield pig farm, exposing the industry that PETA’s been blowing the lid off of for decades. Now, their trial has started in St. George, Utah. The farm they visited was full of screaming mother pigs and dead piglets, bloody and covered with their own feces. The men rescued two dying piglets from the farm and got them the veterinary attention they desperately needed.
They now face felony burglary and theft charges as well as 10 or more years in prison, all in service of protecting the vile meat industry and silencing animal activists everywhere. Even though the rescue is on video, the jury won’t be allowed to see it or any evidence about how the animals were treated on the Smithfield farm.
Ever since PETA prompted the first-ever police raid on a factory farm in 1992, the animal agriculture industry has tried to cover up its extreme cruelty. But even as the industry attempts to silence activists with “ag-gag” laws and surveillance technology, we’re making waves by revealing the evil that occurs on farms. PETA’s investigation into a Hormel pig supplier’s sow farm resulted in landmark convictions for the abuse and neglect of farmed pigs.
And our revealing videos—including one captured by a whistleblower on East Fork Farms in Indiana—have been viewed hundreds of millions of times, spreading awareness of how animals are forced to exist on farms across the U.S.
We’re rooting for Wayne and Paul and hoping they get the justice they deserve for their compassion. To show your support, make vegan food for a meat-eater or order a vegan option for them at a local restaurant—and have a conversation about this trial over the meal.
