It amazes me that in this information age, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) still exists.

With so much access to unbiased research and information, I don’t understand why people still subscribe to the sensationalized, skewed and sometimes downright inaccuracies in PETA’s materials.

But PETA is everywhere. In the last month, I was given a writing assignment on a PETA advertisement for a class, discussed PETA in another class, and I have a PETA pamphlet sitting in my apartment that my roommate received crossing campus. I just can’t escape it.

I grew up raising pigs and other livestock on my family farm, and I’ve been involved in caring for them since I was young. It’s frustrating and mind-boggling to witness my St. Thomas professors and peers misunderstand standard agricultural terms or practices, and many of them rely solely on their knowledge that comes from sources like PETA.

I have always looked at the information PETA and other organizations like it produce with a critical eye because I had the benefit of growing up raising animals. So, I read my roommate’s PETA pamphlet to see exactly what the organization had to say about animals.

The pamphlet frequently presented isolated incidents. For example, one incident described how one pig farm handled moving young piglets from one area to another as common practice.

“Piglets were grabbed by their ears or legs, tossed between the workers, thrown across the room and slammed into transport carts,” the pamphlet read.

Slamming and tossing pigs or grabbing them inappropriately is against industry standards and doesn’t make any sense for a farmer. I know firsthand how important it is to handle young pigs with care to prevent stress and injury.

PETA also positions sustainable and industry-tested practices like managing animal waste, as something wrong or immoral.

One excerpt quoted, without any context, a 35-year-old, outdated “industry” article: “Forget the pig is an animal. Treat him just like a machine in a factory,” and then proceeded to discuss waste management.

“Their waste is pushed through slats beneath them and flushed into huge pits,” the pamphlet read.

Slats are the best solution in the farming industry to prevent pigs from living in their own feces. The concrete pits and slats help to keep living spaces clean and waste safely contained until it can sustainably applied as organic fertilizer for crops.

The fact is, farmers make their living and support their families by raising animals. Animal care and sustainability are the only practices that ensure their success.There are limited incidents of animal abuse, and there are limited instances of poor practices in raising animals, just like there are isolated incidents of child abuse or mistreatment.

The majority of farmers take good care of their animals, just like the majority of parents are constantly looking out for their children’s well-being. Farmers have the same values that consumers have.

Everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. That opinion, though, should be grounded in fact.

I think it would be beneficial for my St. Thomas peers and professors to re-examine their source of information about the actual problems in the industry rather than be persuaded by sensationalized and skewed advertising.

Heidi Enninga can be reached at enni5264@stthomas.edu.