CRETE, Neb. (AP) — An animal rights group is demanding a criminal investigation because 91 pigs died at a Smithfield Foods plant in Nebraska after being exposed to extremely cold temperatures while waiting to be unloaded from trucks in February.
The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) sent a letter to the Saline County Sheriff’s office Thursday with a copy of a USDA report on the deaths at the Smithfield plant in Crete.
At least 40 trucks sat for more than an hour before the pigs were unloaded into a heated barn. Officials at the sheriff’s office and Smithfield didn’t immediately respond to questions Thursday afternoon.