It's Father's Day, so I don't have much time to blog today, but I wanted to get the word out that Smithfield Foods (featured prominently in Food, Inc and in recent swine flu news) is threatening the maker of new documentary Pig Business with a defamation lawsuit. I heard about this from the person tweeting for Pig Business on Twitter.

From the Guardian:

A documentary about intensive pig farming due to be screened at the Guardian Hay festival on Sunday is facing a legal threat from one of the companies it investigates. Pig Business criticises the practices of the world's largest pork processor, Smithfield Foods, claiming it is responsible for environmental pollution and health problems among residents near its factories.

I guess we shouldn't be too amazed, since Dole Foods is doing the same thing to the filmmakers of Bananas. but what's truly amazing is that it's taken this long to see a concerted push-back from Big Ag and Big Food, considering the recent flood of foodumentaries,

Maybe Dole's and Smithfield's actions are the precursors of more action against documentary-makers. If so, director Robert Kenner of Food, Inc, is no doubt safe. Having high-profile muckrakers and whistleblowers Michael Pollan and Eric Schlosser involved means corporations will think twice about going after Food, Inc. No, it's the smaller producers who don't have the cash to protect themselves, like Tracy Worcester of Pig Business, who are going to get bullied.

Loving the world today. Gad.