Documenting cruelty in factory farms has been a hallmark of animal rights since PETA started doing it in the early 1990s.

Just this week, a PETA undercover investigation video of the cruelty at Plainville Farm in Pennsylvania enabled the Pennsylvania State Police to charge 11 people with nearly 140 counts of cruelty to animals, including felonies. It is the largest number of charges in any factory-farmed animal case in U.S. history.

As that case begins, a noteworthy case ended in Utah: The trial of Direct Action Everywhere (DXE) activists for felony burglary and theft alleged to have occurred in 2017. While documenting the cruelty at a factory farm, the activists saw two piglets near death and rescued them. Instead of going after the corporate farm interests, prosecutors went after the activists.

Emil Guillermo talked to Jeremy Beckham, a Utah activist who covered the trial from start to finish. Find out how DXE  activists Wayne Hsiung and Paul Picklesimer won over a jury and triumphed over Smithfield and factory farming in Utah.

Find out more about the trial. See the "Operation Deathstar" video. All on PETA.org.

The PETA Podcast

PETA, the world's largest animal rights organization, is 6.5 million strong and growing. This is the place to find out why. Hear from insiders, thought leaders, activists, investigators, politicians, and others why animals need more than kindness—they have the right not to be abused or exploited in any way.

Hosted by Emil Guillermo. Powered by PETA activism.

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Originally released Oct. 12, 2022 

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