The Last Pig
- Description
- Reviews
- Citation
- Cataloging
- Transcript
This award-winning documentary chronicles the life of a farmer in crisis: after a decade of raising pigs, he can no longer bear the ultimate act of betrayal. Set against the stunning backdrop of Upstate New York, THE LAST PIG documents his final year on the farm. Deeply immersive, the film is a poetic snapshot, a contemplation on compassion, ethics, and the changing landscape of animal agriculture. In intimate detail, it captures the farmer’s personal upheaval as he questions his own morality and the value of life. Through the story’s simple intimacy, the farmer’s moral quandary quietly becomes our own.
Valerie Lang Waldin, J.D., M.L.S., Associate Professor | Hudson Valley Community College
"As an animal law professor and academic librarian, I recognize the tremendous need for fact-based humane education. THE LAST PIG meets this need with beautiful imagery, an intriguing story line, and compelling facts. Our school’s screening experience was thought-provoking, profound, and philosophically robust. I am grateful that such a film finally exists. As institutions of higher learning, in which positive social change and prophetic thinking often begin, I hope you’ll consider bringing The Last Pig to your school. We can only benefit from this visionary work."
Educational Media Reviews Online | Dmitrii Sidorov, California State University, Long Beach
Recommended "The film is set amidst the beautiful rural landscapes of Upstate New York where a pig farmer contemplates his experience and a moral predicament: he cannot stand any more sending his pigs to the slaughterhouse and therefore has decided to refocus his business on growing veggies. Such a short and simple storyline has many advantages. The message is clear and likely would resonate with many students of the younger generations that tend to value high sustainability, environment, and animal rights.
"The fact that the film is available in four different versions (from the Elementary School to the University level) of different length and accompanied by film companion guides is exemplary: all educational videos should follow this model.
"Cinematography (by Joseph Brunette) is unpretentious and certainly poetic with its focus on pigs’ eyes and low angle shots to imitate the pigs' point of view and perspective. The farmer’s intimate first-voice narration and evocative music allow the viewer to notice nuances and adsorb emotions: the film is a nostalgic farewell to the farm and its inhabitants, the pigs."
Booklist
"This is a beautifully shot, sensitively narrated program that will stir discussion on animal rights."
Video Librarian ★★★/4
"Even viewers not necessarily captured by the [pigs] should respond to the film's emotional weight and message, delivered—dare we say?—tastefully."
Staci Hurley, Humane Educator | San Diego Humane Society
"I'm so excited that The Last Pig has been edited for use in classrooms. This program allows me to get kids to think about the impact of our choices in a sensitive, age-appropriate way. The video is beautiful and thought-provoking, but not graphic, and the 40+ page guide is AMAZING!!! All the work has been done for us!"
Moby | Music Icon, Restaurateur, Author, and Animal Activist
"Startling, honest, and deeply beautiful”
Richard Linklater | Award-Winning Film Director
“I want every single person in the world to see this film.”
James Cromwell | Award-Winning Actor
“An extraordinarily insightful and moving film. Profoundly important as well!”
Citation
Main credits
Argo, Allison (film director)
Argo, Allison (film producer)
Argo, Allison (screenwriter)
Brunette, Joseph (film producer)
Other credits
Cinematographer, Joseph Brunette; original music: Giovanni Spinelli; editors David Kennedy & Allison Argo.
Distributor subjects
Social Justice; Ethics; Animal Rights; Humane Education; Agriculture; Philosophy; Environmental Studies; Sustainability; TheologyKeywords
WEBVTT
00:00:-01.-029 --> 00:00:00.-130
(jungle sounds)
00:00:00.-129 --> 00:00:01.496
(monkey squeaks)
00:00:09.644 --> 00:00:12.477
(birds singing)
00:00:15.100 --> 00:00:17.767
(pigs grunting)
00:00:55.767 --> 00:00:58.684
(thunder rumbling)
00:01:03.304 --> 00:01:05.987
(pigs grunt and bark)
00:01:09.642 --> 00:01:10.475
(rain pattering)
00:01:10.475 --> 00:01:11.475
(contented grunts)
00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.670
(water sloshing)
00:01:58.740 --> 00:01:59.740
They follow me.
00:02:01.330 --> 00:02:02.330
Curious,
00:02:03.540 --> 00:02:04.849
interested,
00:02:04.850 --> 00:02:06.823
and irresistibly gregarious.
00:02:10.010 --> 00:02:11.359
They don\'t know
00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:12.550
that this communion
00:02:14.140 --> 00:02:15.703
is a lie.
00:02:16.906 --> 00:02:19.656
(lightning cracks)
00:02:27.132 --> 00:02:32.132
(water bubbling)
00:02:44.503 --> 00:02:45.961
There they are.
00:02:48.287 --> 00:02:50.228
(contented grunts)
00:03:03.117 --> 00:03:05.930
When I was nine or ten years old,
00:03:05.931 --> 00:03:08.989
I had a friend who ran around
with a BB gun, shooting birds,
00:03:08.990 --> 00:03:12.361
shooting squirrels,
and one day we were out
00:03:12.362 --> 00:03:13.939
in the field behind this house
00:03:13.940 --> 00:03:15.754
and he wanted to go shoot birds.
00:03:15.755 --> 00:03:17.321
(sound of tractor)
00:03:18.510 --> 00:03:20.239
There was a robin about 30 feet away
00:03:20.240 --> 00:03:23.655
and he laid down on the ground and...
00:03:24.670 --> 00:03:27.279
he shot the robin,
00:03:27.280 --> 00:03:28.630
and the robin toppled over.
00:03:30.310 --> 00:03:31.843
The robin was still alive.
00:03:33.220 --> 00:03:35.689
It had a BB hole in its throat
00:03:35.690 --> 00:03:37.989
and my friend (pigs grunting)
00:03:37.990 --> 00:03:40.309
was just teeming with bravado.
00:03:40.310 --> 00:03:42.583
You know, he just did
this wonderful thing,
00:03:44.540 --> 00:03:48.217
and I was totally crushed
00:03:48.218 --> 00:03:50.079
as this robin lay gasping
00:03:50.080 --> 00:03:52.273
his last breaths in front of me.
00:03:53.656 --> 00:03:57.188
(pigs squealing)
00:03:58.246 --> 00:04:01.259
(birds chirping)
00:04:01.260 --> 00:04:02.523
You\'re all right, guys.
00:04:06.203 --> 00:04:07.203
You\'re okay.
00:04:09.039 --> 00:04:10.730
(little hooves scampering)
00:04:20.547 --> 00:04:23.214
(pigs grunting)
00:04:31.930 --> 00:04:33.554
You\'re alright.
00:04:33.555 --> 00:04:36.285
I raise feeder pigs.
00:04:37.140 --> 00:04:39.569
I\'ll purchase a pig from another farmer
00:04:39.570 --> 00:04:42.009
when it\'s about six to eight weeks old,
00:04:42.010 --> 00:04:45.309
and I just start pulling
pigs from the group
00:04:45.310 --> 00:04:46.960
when they reach slaughter weight.
00:04:50.410 --> 00:04:53.010
I really love being around
these incredible animals.
00:04:54.430 --> 00:04:57.089
They are absolutely fascinating.
00:04:57.090 --> 00:05:00.516
They are precious,
00:05:00.517 --> 00:05:01.674
they\'re precious.
00:05:01.675 --> 00:05:02.810
They\'re absolutely sacred.
00:05:06.130 --> 00:05:07.799
I try to give them
00:05:07.800 --> 00:05:09.878
the best life they could have
00:05:10.715 --> 00:05:14.122
for the short time that they\'re here.
00:05:14.123 --> 00:05:16.231
(other worldly orchestral music)
00:05:21.087 --> 00:05:23.737
(happy grunts)
00:05:27.004 --> 00:05:28.179
(sniffing)
00:05:32.770 --> 00:05:34.445
(scratching)
00:05:38.344 --> 00:05:40.002
(pigs bark)
00:05:43.533 --> 00:05:46.300
(munching)
00:05:52.191 --> 00:05:53.824
(happy grunts)
00:05:56.506 --> 00:05:59.647
(lips smacking)
00:06:07.827 --> 00:06:09.077
(lips smacking)
00:06:11.251 --> 00:06:13.279
(bees buzzing)
00:06:14.654 --> 00:06:16.370
Piggy, piggy, piggy.
00:06:16.371 --> 00:06:18.372
Come on, pigs.
00:06:18.373 --> 00:06:19.373
Come on, guys.
00:06:22.330 --> 00:06:24.863
These guys, these are
the special needs pigs.
00:06:26.570 --> 00:06:30.473
Each one of them has some sort of problem.
00:06:31.510 --> 00:06:34.949
Most of them are genetic,
couple of \'em have bad legs,
00:06:34.950 --> 00:06:38.479
so I separated them out
from the rest of the group.
00:06:38.480 --> 00:06:39.480
Come on, pigs.
00:06:40.630 --> 00:06:44.739
Most farmers would\'ve put
them down when they found
00:06:44.740 --> 00:06:46.190
that they weren\'t gonna grow.
00:06:47.070 --> 00:06:50.319
It doesn\'t make any
financial sense to feed them,
00:06:50.320 --> 00:06:51.913
but I couldn\'t do that.
00:06:54.882 --> 00:06:56.782
Come on, pig.
00:06:56.783 --> 00:07:00.209
(metal pail clacking)
00:07:00.210 --> 00:07:02.893
I grew up in suburb of New York.
00:07:04.660 --> 00:07:06.719
I spent most of my time in a shopping mall
00:07:06.720 --> 00:07:08.770
playing video games and eating fast food.
00:07:12.380 --> 00:07:17.019
When I started pig farming,
I knew nothing about pigs,
00:07:17.020 --> 00:07:19.409
but I wanted to offer
people an alternative
00:07:19.410 --> 00:07:21.125
to factory farmed meat.
00:07:22.040 --> 00:07:24.863
I learned how to take care
of pigs by trial and error,
00:07:25.803 --> 00:07:28.353
and by reading old agricultural texts.
00:07:30.700 --> 00:07:32.599
I made a lot of mistakes
00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:36.031
and I stressed out a lot of pigs.
00:07:36.032 --> 00:07:38.239
(pigs grunting)
00:07:38.240 --> 00:07:41.989
After 10 years, I feel
like I\'m starting to know
00:07:41.990 --> 00:07:43.390
what I\'m doing a little bit.
00:07:46.323 --> 00:07:48.039
(pig squeals loudly)
00:07:48.040 --> 00:07:49.298
(pig squeals loudly)
00:07:58.700 --> 00:07:59.953
Sometimes, pigs escape,
00:08:01.580 --> 00:08:04.433
and I used to get angry.
00:08:06.110 --> 00:08:08.223
I\'d run around sort of like a madman,
00:08:10.340 --> 00:08:15.013
but then, I realized that
as soon as a pig gets upset,
00:08:16.420 --> 00:08:18.553
you\'ve lost the pig.
00:08:22.701 --> 00:08:25.649
You know, they\'re already
pretty uncomfortable.
00:08:25.650 --> 00:08:27.049
Come on, guys.
00:08:27.050 --> 00:08:30.883
It\'s an electrified
fence, and it scared them,
00:08:31.940 --> 00:08:35.273
but the pig will eventually
go back with the herd.
00:08:37.060 --> 00:08:38.983
They wanna be with other pigs.
00:08:41.799 --> 00:08:42.882
There you go.
00:08:44.042 --> 00:08:45.042
Good pigs!
00:08:50.616 --> 00:08:51.616
(contented grunts)
00:08:53.972 --> 00:08:56.805
(hammer pounding)
00:09:03.320 --> 00:09:06.875
Ten to two, depending on
the weather is nap time.
00:09:07.841 --> 00:09:10.424
(pigs snoring)
00:09:13.020 --> 00:09:16.313
When pigs sleep, they
sleep touching another pig,
00:09:17.720 --> 00:09:18.883
almost always.
00:09:21.470 --> 00:09:24.333
There\'s rarely a pig off
by itself sleeping alone.
00:09:29.980 --> 00:09:32.049
You know the herd
00:09:32.050 --> 00:09:33.793
is what the pig considers its family.
00:09:37.760 --> 00:09:38.860
When they\'re together,
00:09:40.393 --> 00:09:41.776
the social order is...
00:09:44.260 --> 00:09:45.260
intact.
00:09:50.564 --> 00:09:53.056
(tractor engine)
00:10:02.116 --> 00:10:04.866
(birds chirping)
00:10:11.502 --> 00:10:13.499
(lips smacking)
00:10:13.500 --> 00:10:15.724
(metal clanging)
00:10:28.434 --> 00:10:29.601
Come on, pigs.
00:10:45.992 --> 00:10:47.409
You\'re okay, pig.
00:10:51.549 --> 00:10:53.415
(contented eating)
00:11:14.945 --> 00:11:15.945
You\'re okay.
00:11:21.209 --> 00:11:23.184
You\'re all right, pigs.
00:11:23.185 --> 00:11:24.185
You\'re okay.
00:11:27.523 --> 00:11:29.073
Come on, guys.
00:11:37.806 --> 00:11:40.473
(pigs grunting)
00:11:54.585 --> 00:11:57.452
(pig grumbling)
00:11:57.453 --> 00:11:59.351
Come on, guys.
00:12:02.240 --> 00:12:03.240
Come on, pig.
00:12:04.640 --> 00:12:08.017
Come on, buddy.
(pig grumbling)
00:12:26.765 --> 00:12:28.190
(metal clanging)
00:12:36.024 --> 00:12:38.965
(distressed grunting)
00:12:46.133 --> 00:12:47.900
(grunting)
00:12:50.152 --> 00:12:51.685
(distressed grunting)
00:12:57.300 --> 00:13:00.475
(tractor engine starts)
00:13:12.834 --> 00:13:14.642
(distressed grunts)
00:13:50.236 --> 00:13:51.994
(metal lock clanging)
00:13:57.840 --> 00:13:59.052
Come on, guys.
00:13:59.053 --> 00:14:00.728
Gotta go inside.
00:14:07.310 --> 00:14:08.578
Come on.
00:14:12.310 --> 00:14:15.881
Over the last 10 years,
I\'ve taken 2,000 pigs
00:14:15.882 --> 00:14:17.819
to the slaughterhouse.
00:14:17.820 --> 00:14:18.711
Come on.
00:14:18.712 --> 00:14:20.282
Which in the grand scheme of things,
00:14:20.283 --> 00:14:21.999
is not many pigs.
00:14:22.000 --> 00:14:25.456
On factory farms, 2,000 pigs go everyday.
00:14:25.457 --> 00:14:26.410
Come on.
00:14:26.411 --> 00:14:28.149
At industrial slaughterhouses,
00:14:28.150 --> 00:14:30.822
they fly down the line at
a thousand pigs an hour.
00:14:30.823 --> 00:14:32.989
Go on, good pigs.
00:14:32.990 --> 00:14:34.423
(metal clanging)
00:14:36.195 --> 00:14:39.112
(metal lock clangs)
00:14:41.481 --> 00:14:44.064
(pigs sniff curiously)
00:14:47.255 --> 00:14:48.624
(metal door slams)
00:14:49.908 --> 00:14:52.474
(insects buzzing)
00:14:55.151 --> 00:14:57.818
(pig snuffling)
00:15:30.352 --> 00:15:33.769
(tractor approaching)
00:15:38.455 --> 00:15:41.589
With over 250 pigs on
the farm at any one time,
00:15:41.590 --> 00:15:45.415
it\'s sort of like living
in the sea of pigs.
00:15:45.416 --> 00:15:47.707
(tractor beeps)
00:15:52.660 --> 00:15:53.685
(tractor beeps)
00:16:03.897 --> 00:16:06.859
(metal clangs against rock)
00:16:06.860 --> 00:16:09.527
(pigs bark)
00:16:21.466 --> 00:16:22.674
(pigs sniff & grunt)
00:16:25.583 --> 00:16:28.333
(water sloshing)
00:16:48.960 --> 00:16:50.360
(happy grunts)
00:17:33.773 --> 00:17:36.273
(contented sigh)
00:17:37.304 --> 00:17:39.054
(water splashing in the distance)
00:17:45.120 --> 00:17:46.652
(grunting)
00:17:46.653 --> 00:17:48.669
(footsteps)
00:17:58.317 --> 00:18:00.559
(soft grunts)
00:18:01.602 --> 00:18:03.019
You\'re all right.
00:18:04.224 --> 00:18:06.765
(distressed grunts)
00:18:36.740 --> 00:18:38.767
Hey, thanks for coming.
00:18:40.064 --> 00:18:41.112
She\'s in the shelter,
00:18:41.113 --> 00:18:42.536
doesn\'t look good.
00:18:42.537 --> 00:18:43.537
All right.
00:18:49.090 --> 00:18:52.353
She\'s in pain, and I don\'t
believe she\'s gonna get better,
00:18:54.590 --> 00:18:57.614
but it\'s hard to make that decision.
00:18:57.615 --> 00:19:00.406
(distressed grunts)
00:19:03.966 --> 00:19:05.365
(distant gun shot)
00:19:05.366 --> 00:19:07.641
(bird wings flapping)
00:19:27.291 --> 00:19:28.614
Ready?
00:19:28.615 --> 00:19:30.149
You got her?
00:19:39.720 --> 00:19:44.100
Death on a livestock farm
is all around, all the time.
00:19:51.936 --> 00:19:54.532
(pigs grunting)
00:19:54.533 --> 00:19:58.127
(pigs snuffling)
00:19:58.128 --> 00:20:00.429
(tractor starting)
00:20:39.724 --> 00:20:41.624
(tractor fades away)
00:20:43.149 --> 00:20:44.732
(dog panting)
00:20:49.527 --> 00:20:53.610
(insects buzzing)
00:20:54.894 --> 00:20:56.767
(crickets)
00:20:56.768 --> 00:20:59.043
(dog barking in distance)
00:21:04.983 --> 00:21:07.408
(door opening)
00:21:09.131 --> 00:21:11.419
(footsteps)
00:21:11.420 --> 00:21:16.420
When I first got pigs, I was
pretty much a train wreck.
00:21:16.936 --> 00:21:17.894
(tractor starts)
00:21:17.895 --> 00:21:19.644
Emotionally speaking.
00:21:20.582 --> 00:21:23.198
I was in and out of depression,
had a lot of anxiety,
00:21:24.390 --> 00:21:29.081
and when I experienced an
acute period of depression,
00:21:29.082 --> 00:21:30.859
(distant tractor)
00:21:30.860 --> 00:21:34.989
my relationship with the
pigs helped to heal me,
00:21:34.990 --> 00:21:36.495
helped me get better.
00:21:41.223 --> 00:21:43.727
Without really thinking about it too much,
00:21:43.728 --> 00:21:45.799
it was mostly subconscious.
00:21:45.800 --> 00:21:48.242
I ended up noticing
00:21:48.243 --> 00:21:50.268
how they have the same...
00:21:52.315 --> 00:21:57.315
emotional responses to stress,
00:21:57.390 --> 00:22:01.842
and anxiety, and fear that I did.
00:22:06.115 --> 00:22:09.448
(ethereal orchestral music)
00:22:41.650 --> 00:22:45.150
(wire reel squeaking)
00:22:46.639 --> 00:22:49.297
(curious grunting)
00:22:54.310 --> 00:22:57.143
(hammer pounding)
00:23:10.189 --> 00:23:13.422
(pigs barking and running)
00:23:20.268 --> 00:23:22.851
(pig snoring)
00:23:29.521 --> 00:23:31.987
(pigs snoring)
00:24:03.905 --> 00:24:07.555
(rustling leaves)
00:24:12.344 --> 00:24:15.094
(pigs grunting)
00:24:16.360 --> 00:24:18.958
After 10 years
00:24:18.959 --> 00:24:21.693
of looking into a thousands of pig eyes,
00:24:23.020 --> 00:24:26.323
I\'ve come to understand
that they\'re never vacant.
00:24:27.530 --> 00:24:31.275
There\'s always somebody
looking back at me.
00:24:42.240 --> 00:24:45.950
Pigs are incredibly complex...
00:24:48.340 --> 00:24:49.673
beings.
00:24:51.730 --> 00:24:56.399
They\'re not just animals. They\'re beings
00:24:56.400 --> 00:25:00.757
in the most profound sense of that word.
00:25:03.166 --> 00:25:07.482
(twigs and branches cracking)
00:25:09.382 --> 00:25:11.248
(pigs barking)
00:25:23.073 --> 00:25:26.240
(wheel hoe squeaking)
00:25:43.534 --> 00:25:46.284
(birds chirping)
00:25:49.031 --> 00:25:52.881
(rustling pea plants)
00:25:55.750 --> 00:25:57.749
It\'s kind of strange.
00:25:57.750 --> 00:25:59.013
Come on, pigs.
00:25:59.014 --> 00:26:00.014
But...
00:26:01.295 --> 00:26:02.372
come on,
00:26:02.373 --> 00:26:05.889
there are two ways that I look at pigs,
00:26:05.890 --> 00:26:09.293
and the first is the one that I prefer.
00:26:10.349 --> 00:26:11.840
(pigs munching)
00:26:12.720 --> 00:26:14.710
Six days out of seven,
I\'m looking at a pig
00:26:14.711 --> 00:26:16.899
from a perspective of care.
00:26:16.900 --> 00:26:18.025
Is it healthy?
00:26:19.060 --> 00:26:21.323
Is it doing what it wants to be doing?
00:26:25.040 --> 00:26:26.393
But one day out of seven,
00:26:28.030 --> 00:26:31.271
I look at pigs from the
perspective of utility.
00:26:35.610 --> 00:26:37.510
That one day is on slaughterhouse day.
00:26:40.450 --> 00:26:44.843
I gaze at the pigs and see
the curve of their back,
00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:48.829
and how big their hams are,
00:26:48.830 --> 00:26:50.847
and the shape of their loin muscle.
00:26:52.860 --> 00:26:55.690
I evaluate the animal
00:26:57.640 --> 00:27:00.048
on how well it\'s going to turn into meat.
00:27:03.160 --> 00:27:05.047
And if they\'re at market weight,
00:27:05.048 --> 00:27:07.147
(truck engine)
00:27:07.148 --> 00:27:09.818
I take them to the slaughterhouse.
00:27:29.670 --> 00:27:31.539
For 10 years,
00:27:31.540 --> 00:27:33.929
I\'ve had to throw down
00:27:33.930 --> 00:27:36.380
what I call my emotional blast doors
00:27:37.310 --> 00:27:39.469
every time I load pigs onto the trailer
00:27:39.470 --> 00:27:41.695
to take them to the slaughterhouse.
00:27:43.460 --> 00:27:48.460
Those blast doors prevent
me from feeling the emotions
00:27:49.040 --> 00:27:50.040
that are...
00:27:53.025 --> 00:27:54.516
raging to get out.
00:28:04.106 --> 00:28:06.680
(metal lock clanking)
00:28:09.880 --> 00:28:11.471
Come on, guys.
00:28:11.472 --> 00:28:13.080
(loudly whirring fans)
00:28:15.238 --> 00:28:16.754
(whirring)
00:28:18.994 --> 00:28:20.510
(running water)
00:28:21.637 --> 00:28:23.486
(metal banging)
Thank you, Zach.
00:28:23.487 --> 00:28:25.654
- [Zach] Okay, no problem.
00:28:42.303 --> 00:28:44.836
(creaking metal door)
00:28:46.342 --> 00:28:49.175
(machine humming)
00:28:53.093 --> 00:28:55.510
(door slams)
00:29:05.667 --> 00:29:09.009
(machines whirring and thumping)
00:29:13.360 --> 00:29:17.160
(stressed grunting)
00:29:36.681 --> 00:29:41.615
(machine thumping)
00:29:43.083 --> 00:29:45.408
(deep thumping)
00:29:47.139 --> 00:29:49.189
(distant thumping)
00:29:50.861 --> 00:29:52.561
(running water)
00:29:53.463 --> 00:29:56.196
(hose spraying)
00:30:16.382 --> 00:30:19.816
(men talking faintly in distance)
00:30:26.323 --> 00:30:28.298
(door creaks open)
00:30:36.393 --> 00:30:38.593
(metal hooks clanking)
00:30:43.747 --> 00:30:45.522
(door thuds shut)
00:30:49.388 --> 00:30:52.430
(birds chirping)
00:31:06.143 --> 00:31:10.449
I no longer understand why a pig is food
00:31:10.450 --> 00:31:12.325
and a dog is part of the family.
00:31:18.833 --> 00:31:21.500
(pigs grunting contentedly)
00:31:25.940 --> 00:31:30.269
I\'ve learned that pigs have the same depth
00:31:30.270 --> 00:31:34.920
and a range of emotions
and intelligence as dogs.
00:31:36.556 --> 00:31:39.297
(distant tractor running)
00:31:40.880 --> 00:31:43.429
We grow up
00:31:43.430 --> 00:31:45.669
not eating dogs.
00:31:45.670 --> 00:31:47.963
We grow up not eating horses.
00:31:51.650 --> 00:31:56.650
Nowhere in our experience
is there any deliberation
00:31:56.700 --> 00:32:00.320
about is it okay to eat the pig?
00:32:01.384 --> 00:32:03.005
Is it okay to eat my dog?
00:32:05.173 --> 00:32:06.523
(tractor engine)
00:32:08.620 --> 00:32:10.536
It no longer makes sense to me
00:32:10.537 --> 00:32:12.863
to eat the pig and not the dog.
00:32:15.418 --> 00:32:18.266
So I\'ve decided
00:32:18.267 --> 00:32:20.257
I\'m not gonna eat either.
00:32:21.609 --> 00:32:23.451
(contented grunting)
00:32:26.182 --> 00:32:29.599
(tractor engine roaring)
00:32:47.460 --> 00:32:50.991
There have been times when
I felt extremely proud
00:32:50.992 --> 00:32:52.183
of what I was doing.
00:32:59.830 --> 00:33:03.379
(uneasy orchestral music)
00:33:03.380 --> 00:33:05.108
But lately,
00:33:05.983 --> 00:33:08.080
going to the slaughterhouse
00:33:09.400 --> 00:33:10.400
is
00:33:13.550 --> 00:33:15.625
Almost more than I can bear.
00:33:19.646 --> 00:33:22.813
(bird wings flapping)
00:33:30.909 --> 00:33:33.742
(metal clanging)
00:33:38.709 --> 00:33:41.376
(pigs grunting)
00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:44.754
I have paint
00:33:44.755 --> 00:33:46.979
that I use to mark the pigs
00:33:46.980 --> 00:33:49.036
that I\'m gonna load on the trailer,
00:33:51.700 --> 00:33:56.383
and my can paint ran out a few months ago,
00:33:58.310 --> 00:34:00.740
so I haven\'t been marking them.
00:34:02.474 --> 00:34:04.324
(pigs eating)
00:34:05.510 --> 00:34:09.763
I got a new can and I
used it this morning.
00:34:25.757 --> 00:34:28.840
(paint can clanking)
00:34:41.396 --> 00:34:43.529
( paint can spraying)
00:34:49.621 --> 00:34:51.796
(paint can spraying)
00:34:53.088 --> 00:34:55.196
(paint can spraying)
00:35:00.670 --> 00:35:02.009
After I got back from the slaughterhouse,
00:35:02.010 --> 00:35:04.139
I had more or less forgotten about it,
00:35:04.140 --> 00:35:06.907
and one of them walked out of the woods
00:35:06.908 --> 00:35:08.723
with a mark on its back.
00:35:11.032 --> 00:35:13.782
(haunting orchestral music)
00:35:14.670 --> 00:35:18.337
It was just chance that
kept that pig alive.
00:35:32.533 --> 00:35:35.088
I no longer want to
00:35:35.089 --> 00:35:37.894
(bird wings flapping)
00:35:37.895 --> 00:35:39.100
peddle in death.
00:35:40.692 --> 00:35:44.275
(profound orchestra music)
00:35:54.678 --> 00:35:59.678
(tractor engine humming)
(birds chirping)
00:36:15.594 --> 00:36:17.952
(water spraying)
00:36:27.306 --> 00:36:29.164
(pigs grunting softly)
00:36:31.520 --> 00:36:32.999
This is the last group of pigs
00:36:33.000 --> 00:36:34.803
that will ever be on the farm.
00:36:36.750 --> 00:36:38.743
They\'ll be gone in November.
00:36:43.550 --> 00:36:45.750
I would prefer not to
have them slaughtered,
00:36:47.490 --> 00:36:49.766
but the sanctuaries that
I\'m getting in touch with
00:36:49.767 --> 00:36:51.706
are totally bursting at the seams
00:36:51.707 --> 00:36:54.144
and to find homes for 200 pigs
00:36:54.145 --> 00:36:56.013
would be basically impossible.
00:36:57.540 --> 00:37:01.699
You know, and I just can\'t
sell them to some other farmer
00:37:01.700 --> 00:37:04.519
because there\'s no
guarantee another farmer
00:37:04.520 --> 00:37:06.231
would treat them the same way.
00:37:06.232 --> 00:37:08.549
(dog yelping)
00:37:10.507 --> 00:37:12.153
Come here, bud.
00:37:12.154 --> 00:37:14.081
Monk, come here, you\'re okay.
00:37:14.082 --> 00:37:15.668
Come on, come here, bud.
00:37:18.883 --> 00:37:20.675
Come here, Monk, you\'re okay.
00:37:22.114 --> 00:37:23.267
Come here.
00:37:25.042 --> 00:37:26.469
Come on.
00:37:26.470 --> 00:37:28.163
Come on, Monk, go on.
00:37:31.420 --> 00:37:32.980
You stay there.
00:37:35.152 --> 00:37:37.096
He got shocked.
00:37:37.097 --> 00:37:38.260
He\'s just jealous.
00:37:39.421 --> 00:37:40.712
You just stay, Monk.
00:37:48.763 --> 00:37:52.263
(tractor engine whirring)
00:37:56.275 --> 00:37:58.450
(distant tractor whirring)
00:38:02.288 --> 00:38:06.379
(bird wings flapping)
(pigs grunting)
00:38:12.870 --> 00:38:16.663
The number of pigs has dwindled so much.
00:38:18.842 --> 00:38:21.400
I\'m beginning to see
individual pigs again.
00:38:25.740 --> 00:38:26.790
They are,
00:38:29.190 --> 00:38:32.878
they\'re totally complex
and incredible beings.
00:38:35.220 --> 00:38:38.800
They have a penetrating intelligence
00:38:40.570 --> 00:38:43.543
and it shows in a lot of different ways.
00:38:46.790 --> 00:38:49.453
They recognize and remember people.
00:38:51.020 --> 00:38:53.923
They also learn their
names extremely quickly.
00:38:57.690 --> 00:39:02.363
One pig, Niblet, learned
her name in a day.
00:39:06.144 --> 00:39:07.144
Niblet!
00:39:07.942 --> 00:39:08.942
Niblet!
00:39:10.118 --> 00:39:11.899
Come on, Niblet!
00:39:11.900 --> 00:39:13.399
Come on, girl!
00:39:13.400 --> 00:39:14.843
There you go, come on, girl.
00:39:17.039 --> 00:39:18.622
Good girl, Nibs.
00:39:21.900 --> 00:39:24.893
Out of a crowd of 30
pigs, she came running.
00:39:26.247 --> 00:39:27.610
Good girl, Nibs.
00:39:30.401 --> 00:39:32.034
(chuckles) That\'s a good girl.
00:39:34.810 --> 00:39:37.559
She\'d heard me say Niblet before,
00:39:37.560 --> 00:39:40.369
but she\'d heard me say Niblet about her,
00:39:40.370 --> 00:39:41.723
never directly to her.
00:39:44.860 --> 00:39:47.523
It\'s as if she was hanging
around listening, saying,
00:39:48.543 --> 00:39:50.850
\"Hm, my name\'s Niblet.\"
00:39:54.864 --> 00:39:57.257
(pig snuffling)
00:39:57.258 --> 00:40:01.065
Every pig is very different.
00:40:04.504 --> 00:40:05.504
You\'re okay.
00:40:09.790 --> 00:40:12.383
In one group, there are two pigs.
00:40:14.043 --> 00:40:15.689
(sighing)
00:40:15.690 --> 00:40:18.189
One is the nicest pig that I\'ve ever met,
00:40:18.190 --> 00:40:21.426
the friendliest pig that
I\'ve ever interacted with.
00:40:21.427 --> 00:40:23.716
He\'s just insatiable
00:40:23.717 --> 00:40:28.103
in his desire for attention and affection,
00:40:29.310 --> 00:40:34.310
and the other one is always
the leader of the pack,
00:40:34.390 --> 00:40:37.693
and she\'s confident, and brave, and bold,
00:40:38.745 --> 00:40:42.762
and (sniffs)
00:40:44.906 --> 00:40:48.060
(sighs) I really don\'t
wanna kill those pigs.
00:40:49.890 --> 00:40:52.823
(geese calling)
00:41:11.820 --> 00:41:16.820
Even as I am attempting to
transition to vegetable farming,
00:41:16.977 --> 00:41:18.753
I continue to kill pigs.
00:41:20.008 --> 00:41:22.033
(distant geese calling)
00:41:23.450 --> 00:41:25.719
And now...
00:41:25.720 --> 00:41:27.003
there\'s an emptiness.
00:41:34.418 --> 00:41:39.418
(leaves rustling)
(pigs grunting)
00:41:39.820 --> 00:41:42.376
They love it when the leaves dry.
00:41:42.377 --> 00:41:43.810
They love the fall.
00:41:49.825 --> 00:41:52.549
(pigs snorting happily)
00:42:03.440 --> 00:42:06.617
Seeing the pigs so clearly full of joy
00:42:09.130 --> 00:42:11.280
gives me no sense of absolution.
00:42:15.877 --> 00:42:20.017
You know, this idea that
happy pigs make happy meat
00:42:21.110 --> 00:42:24.330
is extremely unsettling, it\'s disturbing.
00:42:27.650 --> 00:42:31.662
I\'m haunted by the ghosts of those
00:42:31.663 --> 00:42:32.663
happy pigs.
00:42:38.338 --> 00:42:40.388
(truck roaring by)
00:42:41.379 --> 00:42:43.154
(leaves scattering)
00:42:52.480 --> 00:42:53.505
(wind blowing)
00:42:55.817 --> 00:43:00.817
(pig grunting)
(dog barking)
00:43:08.508 --> 00:43:09.949
(ice cracking)
00:43:16.891 --> 00:43:18.999
(ice cracking)
00:43:25.837 --> 00:43:27.670
(chopping ice)
00:43:39.669 --> 00:43:42.085
(soft grunting)
00:43:42.086 --> 00:43:43.536
Come on.
00:43:47.892 --> 00:43:49.059
Come on, pigs.
00:43:50.240 --> 00:43:51.407
Come on, pigs!
00:43:59.320 --> 00:44:03.983
I was able to find
sanctuary for eight pigs.
00:44:06.930 --> 00:44:08.030
Come on, pig.
00:44:09.175 --> 00:44:10.657
Come on, guys.
00:44:10.658 --> 00:44:13.077
And now, I\'m making decisions
00:44:13.078 --> 00:44:14.760
that are very arbitrary.
00:44:15.962 --> 00:44:17.053
Come on, buddy.
00:44:21.450 --> 00:44:24.870
I\'m deciding who\'s going to the sanctuary
00:44:27.110 --> 00:44:28.466
and who dies.
00:44:30.110 --> 00:44:32.943
(metal clanging)
00:44:35.662 --> 00:44:38.912
(truck engine starting)
00:44:50.060 --> 00:44:53.923
Saving eight is a token gesture.
00:44:55.860 --> 00:44:58.043
Some people would think it\'s absurd,
00:45:01.770 --> 00:45:02.770
but,
00:45:04.680 --> 00:45:08.703
they have 10, 15 years ahead of them.
00:45:10.559 --> 00:45:13.534
(unsettling, wistful music)
00:45:18.537 --> 00:45:20.428
(wind howling lightly)
00:45:26.045 --> 00:45:29.295
(tractor approaching)
00:45:38.901 --> 00:45:42.167
(pigs snuffling)
00:45:46.501 --> 00:45:48.317
(tractor starting)
00:46:01.910 --> 00:46:06.273
Tomorrow is my last day as a pig farmer.
00:46:09.440 --> 00:46:11.679
By 10 o\'clock tomorrow morning,
00:46:11.680 --> 00:46:15.300
there won\'t be a single pig on this farm.
00:46:27.379 --> 00:46:29.962
(wind howling)
00:46:35.328 --> 00:46:38.669
(crows crying)
00:46:50.501 --> 00:46:52.090
Come on.
00:46:52.091 --> 00:46:57.091
(pigs grunting)
Come on, pig, come on.
00:46:57.340 --> 00:46:58.423
Come on, pig.
00:47:02.851 --> 00:47:06.268
(tractor engine starting)
00:47:16.214 --> 00:47:20.047
(haunting orchestral music)
00:47:33.811 --> 00:47:36.102
(soft grunting)
00:48:14.477 --> 00:48:18.469
(snow crunching)
00:48:41.789 --> 00:48:42.789
(wind)
00:48:48.970 --> 00:48:51.578
(hopeful orchestral music)
00:49:16.590 --> 00:49:20.402
I\'m terrified that my transition
00:49:20.403 --> 00:49:22.111
to vegetables is gonna fail.
00:49:28.540 --> 00:49:31.261
There have been times when I thought,
00:49:31.262 --> 00:49:32.766
\"You know, it was a bad decision.
00:49:32.767 --> 00:49:35.292
\"I\'m gonna continue being a pig farmer.\"
00:49:36.300 --> 00:49:37.979
But then that second passed
00:49:37.980 --> 00:49:41.573
and I realized that no
matter where I end up,
00:49:43.720 --> 00:49:46.913
giving up pig farming was
the right thing to do.
00:49:47.825 --> 00:49:51.408
(dramatic orchestra music)
00:50:32.395 --> 00:50:34.978
(truck engine humming)
00:50:42.481 --> 00:50:44.349
- [Sanctuary Woman] Come on, baby.
00:50:44.350 --> 00:50:47.579
- [Sanctuary Man] Come on,
guys, you\'re okay, come on.
00:50:47.580 --> 00:50:49.020
- [Sanctuary Woman] Oh, my goodness.
00:50:51.105 --> 00:50:53.013
- Is that a little scary?
00:50:54.190 --> 00:50:57.769
- [Bob] At the sanctuaries, the pigs,
00:50:57.770 --> 00:51:02.770
they\'re really ambassadors for
the invisible farm animals,
00:51:04.130 --> 00:51:06.410
the millions, billions
00:51:07.590 --> 00:51:08.752
that we don\'t see.
00:51:08.753 --> 00:51:10.077
(crowd cheering)
- Good job.
00:51:10.078 --> 00:51:12.142
- Hurray!
00:51:12.143 --> 00:51:15.843
- Good job, way to go.
00:51:17.980 --> 00:51:21.730
(stringed orchestral music)
00:52:10.140 --> 00:52:12.807
(pigs softly grunting)
00:52:14.720 --> 00:52:17.660
I would give up every single moment
00:52:17.661 --> 00:52:19.620
I ever spent with the pigs
00:52:21.610 --> 00:52:23.650
just to bring one of them back.
00:52:25.429 --> 00:52:27.546
(softly grunting)