CLAIMS piglets have suffered extreme cruelty at the hands of a Riverina piggery have been slammed by the industry's national service body.
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Animal activists have released video footage and images from inside the Grong Grong Piggery, which depicts piglets in pieces and hundreds of pregnant sows confined to stalls.
The Daily Advertiser contacted the piggery, owned by the Pig Improvement Company (PIC), for comment but was directed to Australian Pork Limited (APL).
General manager of communications at APL Emily Mackintosh said the footage - dated late last year - was staged and the dead piglets had been scattered across the ground in an act of "sensationalism".
Ms Mackintosh said the vision was obtained illegally during a break-in and stressed the high biosecurity risk such an act posed to the industry.
"These people have broken and entered in these properties in the dead of night and disturbed and distressed the animals," Ms Mackintosh said.
"They portray this as the way the pig industry does business and that's not the case.
"It's a matter of reality, when you get live piglets you get dead ones as well ... these are animals and they're giving birth.
"These people's agenda is not about genuine animal welfare, it's about anti-farming animals for human consumption."
Chris Delforce, the operations director of Aussie Farms - a group trying to end commercialised animal abuse and exploitation - said the vision provided to them wouldn't have been set up.
"I don't see any benefit for the activist to stage photos like that," Mr Delforce said.
"It's clear from the photos that the pigs' welfare is not high on the agenda.
"In a natural setting female pigs are actually very protective of their young and wouldn't do something like that (maim their young).
"We think consumers have every right to know how their food is produced."
Ms Mackintosh said the business had been in the area for at least 40 years and its owners were devastated after being "demonised" on social media.
"It is not in the best interest of the farmer to mistreat his animals," she said.
"These people are a genuine part of the community and pride themselves on how they look after these animals."
Rural crime officers from Griffith police are investigating the incident.