A semitrailer truck carrying pigs rolled over on I-694 in Little Canada Friday morning. State Patrol troopers worked to capture several hogs seen running along the freeway (MnDOT/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Opinion editor's note: Star Tribune Opinion publishes a mix of national and local commentaries online and in print each day. To contribute, click here.

•••

On June 9, a semitrailer carrying 50 pigs rolled over on Interstate 694 in Little Canada. When state troopers arrived on the scene, 10 pigs had died and many others were roaming the highway, weaving through traffic.

To most consumers in the U.S., the transportation of animals used for food is invisible. It takes place in enclosed trailers and inside shipping containers. Incidents like the rollover on I-694 offer a brief glimpse into the horrors of farm animal transportation.

More than 20 million farm animals die on their way to factory farms or slaughterhouses each year in the U.S. alone. Most of these animals in transit are unable to lie down or rest, crowded into tight quarters without bedding. Trailers inevitably fill up with excrement as trips drag on, often for more than 24 continuous hours. Some animals succumb to dehydration, starvation or extreme temperatures.

In 2022, more than 3,000 baby birds shipped from Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport perished from scorching temperatures at the Miami-Dade Airport. The mail-order chicks died trapped inside boxes left on the tarmac for hours in 99-degree heat.

In cold weather, animals can freeze to death or become frozen to part of a vehicle.

The lack of enforcement of federal animal welfare legislation exacerbates the flaws in our food system. Federal law mandates that farm animals cannot travel on land for longer than 28 hours without unloading for food, water and rest for at least five hours.

Sadly, there is little enforcement of the 28-hour law. Investigations reveal that some farm animals remain trapped inside trucks or trailers for more than 30 hours without access to food or water.

In Europe, more progressive animal welfare regulations mandate that livestock cannot be transported on land for more than eight hours, without unloading for basic needs.

As the global demand for meat rises, more animals than ever before suffer harrowing journeys to their own slaughter. Their treacherous trips to grim destinations represent only a small fraction of their difficult lives on Earth.

Most animals raised for food will almost never see the sun or feel the texture of grass. They spend their short lives in dark, cramped conditions. Many lack sufficient space to even turn around or spread their wings.

Evidence shows that farm animals can be highly intelligent and have complex social relationships. But the meat industry treats these thinking and feeling beings as commodities, only valuable in terms of the profit they yield.

Our choices — whether it's the food we eat or the legislation we support — can propel or mitigate the worst horrors of our broken food system.

By eating more plant-based foods, we can reduce the intensiveness of animal farming. Limiting our consumption of animal products can minimize accidents like the rollover on I-694 and the broader cruelty of animal agriculture.

By supporting animal protection legislation — and demanding adequate enforcement of existing laws — we can ensure basic safeguards against animal suffering. All animals used by the meat industry deserve sufficient food and water during their difficult lives.

While many Minnesotans coddle their pets at home, major meat corporations are exploiting similar animals by the millions. For the surviving pigs on I-694, their brief moments on the highway were likely the most freedom they had ever known.

Minnesota can do better for animals.

Julie Knopp is a board member at Compassionate Action for Animals in Minneapolis.