{"id":21250,"date":"2025-07-25T04:00:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-25T04:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/peta-hell-on-wheels-pig-transport-truck-visits-farmington\/"},"modified":"2026-03-31T04:04:41","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T04:04:41","slug":"peta-hell-on-wheels-pig-transport-truck-visits-farmington","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/dh.durangoherald.com\/tj\/peta-hell-on-wheels-pig-transport-truck-visits-farmington\/","title":{"rendered":"PETA \u2018Hell on Wheels\u2019 pig transport truck visits Farmington"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"The
The \u201cHell on Wheels\u201d truck demonstration by animal liberation organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, visited downtown Farmington on Thursday, July 24. (Alx Lee\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Alx Lee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals made an attempt to coax diners to reconsider their lunch plates on Thursday as the \u201cHell on Wheels\u201d pig transport truck visited downtown Farmington.<\/p>\n

The demonstration was held in the location of Friday morning\u2019s parade that launches the Connie Mack World Series.<\/p>\n

PETA said in a media advisory that the goal of the truck was to combat meat industry images as dancing pigs and chickens wearing aprons as they gaily make their way to the meal plates.<\/p>\n

\u201cPETA plans to \u201ceducate to liberate\u201d diners on their way into The Chile Pod and other Farmington eateries that serve pork,\u201d PETA said in the advisory.<\/p>\n

The transport truck was described as hyperrealistic with photographic images of pigs and recorded sounds of panicked animals.<\/p>\n

\u201cMost people object to cruelty to animals but may not think that behind every BLT and BBQ pork sandwich is a once-living, sensitive individual who was crammed onto a truck for a terrifying journey to their death,\u201d said PETA executive vice president, Tracy Reiman. \u201cPETA\u2019s \u2018Hell on Wheels\u2019 truck is an appeal to people to remember that the meat industry is a killer and that the only kind meal is a vegan one.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to PETA, pigs dream when they sleep, recognize their own names, and show empathy for other pigs who are happy or distressed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn the meat industry, workers chop off piglets\u2019 tails, clip their teeth with pliers, and castrate the males \u2013 all without pain relief,\u201d the advisory said. \u201cEvery year, more than 1 million pigs die, and at least 40,000 others sustain injuries during transport to slaughterhouses.\u201d<\/p>\n

Patrons of the Chile Pod spoke with Tri-City Record <\/em>about the presence of the truck that drove on Main Street for an hour.<\/p>\n

A couple from Shiprock visiting the restaurant for their second time said they did take notice of the truck after hearing the sounds that they mistook for sheep.<\/p>\n

The couple said they do not eat a lot of meat but enjoy the food at Chile Pod.<\/p>\n

Eric Neatherlin, of Midland, Texas, also took notice of the pig cries while dining outside with family.<\/p>\n

Neatherlin said they are visiting Farmington for the Connie Mack World Series and were first-time diners at the Chili Pod.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt made me want some bacon,\u201d said Neatherlin.<\/p>\n

\"The
The \u201cHell on Wheels\u201d truck drives next to the Chile Pod on Main Street. in demonstration of the pork food industry by the animal liberation organization, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. (Alx Lee\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Alx Lee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Onlookers
Onlookers watch the \u201cHell on Wheels\u201d truck drive down Main Street on Thursday. (Alx Lee\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Alx Lee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>

The truck also focused on other restaurants including Three Rivers Brewery, Arby\u2019s and Sonic, according to DeLana Barrett, assistant manager of International Grassroots Campaigns with PETA.<\/p>\n

Barrett said the truck has traveled to more than 110 cities since 2024.<\/p>\n

Representatives of PETA reached out to restaurants along the truck\u2019s route, including The Chile Pod, to offer to help them add vegan options to their menus, Barrett said.<\/p>\n

\u201cI did not hear that there was a communication back from the Chili Pod,\u201d she said. \u201cSo that usually means that there isn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n

PETA suggests that meat-free options may become a key part of business as alpha-gal syndrome, a meat and dairy allergy triggered by a tick bite, is on the rise across the country according to the Centers for Disease Control and Preventio<\/a>n.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe purpose of this truck is to just show the reality of how pigs are crammed on these open-air trucks and transported, sometimes hundreds of miles to slaughterhouses and all weather extremes. Countless pigs die in transit before they even reach the slaughterhouse, where they then struggle desperately to escape before having their throat slit. There is a shock factor to our truck, but the industry is what really is shocking,\u201d said Barrett.<\/p>\n

Monica Schultz, owner of Chile Pod, declined to speak with Tri-City Record<\/em> about the presence of the truck on Thursday.<\/p>\n

This article was updated July 26 to emphasize that the truck featured photographic images of pigs and recorded sounds of panicked animals. <\/em><\/p>\n

\"The
The \u201cHell on Wheels\u201d truck turns on to Main Street on Thursday as it displays a visual of pigs headed to the slaughterhouse to diners at the Chile Pod. (Alx Lee\/Tri-City Record)<\/span>Alx Lee<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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