Compassion in World Farming’s Investigation Unit recently undertook an undercover investigation into pig farming in Italy. What they found were pigs crowded together in inhumane conditions suffering routine cruelty.
We have produced a short video containing some of the footage that our investigators uncovered. We must warn you that it is upsetting viewing. You can take action on this issue without watching the film, but if you do choose to view it, please be warned that it contains images of animal suffering.
Viewer Discretion – Shocking Footage – Italian Pig Investigation
Published on 31 May 2013
A recent investigation by Compassion in World Farming into intensive pig farming in Italy has uncovered shocking maltreatment.
Following our recent investigation into Spanish pig farms, Compassion visited 11 farms in Italy. On every single one, we found the EU Pigs Directive (designed to protect the welfare of pigs) being blatantly flouted.
Widespread maltreatment uncovered
Every single one of the 11 farms visited by our investigators was blatantly flouting the EU Pigs Directive – a piece of legislation designed to protect the welfare of all the EU’s 255 million pigs.
Our investigation exposed:
Pigs living in completely barren environments, being housed on bare concrete with nothing to satisfy their inquisitive minds
Pigs with tails routinely docked – a painful mutilation used to prevent tail-biting, which can occur when pigs are forced to live in barren conditions
Pigs left sick or injured. On one farm, a pig was so severely wounded from fighting that it had died.
We believe these farms to be representative of the massive Italian pig industry – which means up to 13 million Italian pigs could be enduring these terrible conditions every year.
We must tell the world what is happening behind the closed doors of Italian pig farms so please share the film with as many friends as possible. Use this link: www.ciwf.org/italianpigs
Compassion in World Farming is calling for:
Enrichment materials (such as straw) to be provided to all pigs
Tail docking to only be used as a last resort, never routinely
Sows to be kept in groups, in large pens, with plenty of bedding
Limited stocking densities, to avoid over-crowding
All sick or injured animals to be treated and cared for immediately.
Compassion in World Farming has launched an EU-wide petition, calling on the Agriculture Ministers from all 27 EU Member States to ensure that the Pigs Directive is fully enforced in every EU nation.
Please take action by signing the petition now and call for an end to this unacceptable treatment of pigs in Italy and throughout the EU.
“If animal welfare suspects someone is keeping animals, that they are concerned about, then animal welfare should have the right to search said house…sod the owner saying ‘No your not coming in’ if they say that, then they probably have something to hide; but will have time to fix it by the time animal control come back! Just think how many animals would have been saved, from horrible deaths, like starvation, dehydration & untreated wounds etc.; if only animal welfare had the power to enter properties!!
An Olympia woman whose house caught fire last week could face animal-cruelty charges.
A fire broke out at the two-story DeHart Drive home Wednesday morning, causing an estimated$30,000 in damage and killing several animals. The cause is under investigation.
The scene was “not biologically safe” for fire crews without a proper breathing apparatus because of the amount of animal feces, according to Animal Services. The number of items in the home made it difficult for crews to move around, said Animal Services Officer Ray Spragg, who responded to the scene.
“It was a mix of furniture and beds and cages and Christmas statues and just what one might typically find in a hoarding-type environment,” he said. “Small pathways from room to room.”
The owner has been known to Animal Services since last year, when officers were called to the address for a welfare check. “We didn’t have enough evidence to get in, and she would not let us in to check things,” Spragg said. “We had our suspicions.”
He said there were 10dogs, eightbirds, a cat and a pot-bellied pig in the home. One of the dogs and seven of the birds died at the scene. The cat and one of the dogs have not been found. The dogs were taken to two Yelm–area animal rescues, Gurrs and Purrs and Cornucopia Animal Rescue, by request of the owner. They were all “severely flea-infested,” Spragg said.
The pot-bellied pig was turned over to Animal Services. They call her “Penny Pig.” “She is pretty sweet as far as pigs go,” Spragg said. The pig was treated at South Bay Veterinary Hospital for smoke inhalation. The pig is only slightly underweight, but Animal Services Director Suzanne Beauregard is more concerned about its hooves and skin. “They are very bad,” she said. A volunteer was filling the pig’s makeshift pool in a pen behind the Animal Services building. It walked up to her, curly tail wagging. The pig’s hooves extend several inches out, and its dry skin is beginning to peel off in large pieces. Beauregard said both issues are from neglect. She plans to fix the pig’s hooves while it is getting spayed, but that will depend on whether the pig’s lungs can handle the anesthesia.
Spragg said it looked as though the pig lived in the upstairs room it was found in for years. He plans to forward the case to the Olympia Prosecutor’s Office. Spragg said the owner has other animals at a Lacey address and plans to also have the Yelm shelters take those animals.
Activists have released film they say shows buckets of dead piglets, workers beating sows and fly infestations at a NSWpiggery.
It’s believed authorities raided the piggery on Friday night after Animal Liberation delivered footage of filthy conditions and cruel slaughtering practices.
“This piggery is one of the worst examples of factory farming where animals are treated like ‘production machines’ and no thought is given to their capacity to suffer,” the group’s NSW executive director Mark Pearson said.
“Images also included buckets of dead piglets, a sledge hammer used to bludgeon pigs, and sows with open sores.”
For ref. only
The CEO of industry lobby Australian Pork Limited, Andrew Spencer, said he was “utterly appalled” at the footage.
“The majority of pork producers in Australia rigorously adhere to world best practice when it comes to animal welfare,” he said in a statement.
“There is no way that we can tolerate treating pigs like this.”
Mr Pearson told AAP his group gathered and verified footage for two months before contacting authorities on Thursday.
He said pigs were notoriously difficult to kill humanely.
“Out of all the animals that go through an abattoir the ones that stay conscious longest are pigs,” he said on Saturday.
“You’ve got to be really on the ball.”
Animal Liberationlast year released footage of animals being mistreated at Hawkesbury Valley Meat Processors, in Sydney’s northwest, prompting the government to shut the facility down and launch reforms to safeguard animal welfare in the state.
From July 1 next year, it will be compulsory for NSW abattoirs to have animal welfare officers monitor and take responsibility for the wellbeing of animals.
Random audits of animal welfare compliance will also be ramped up.
Police would not comment except to say that investigations were continuing.
“Those who intentionally sets their dogs, on a group of wild pigs, knowing full well the dogs are at risks of serious injury or even death…shouldn’t be owning any dogs! This is not a hobby, it’s a disgraceful blood sport, carried out in the name of entertainment, with ever greedy eyes, on the prize! They appear void of any respect for these animals, nor are they bothered about the pain & suffering they endure.!”
Animal rights activists are up in arms over a brutal and highly aggressive form ofhunting known aspig–dogging. Viewer discretion is advised
Barbarity or Hobby?
Vodpod videos no longer available.
(Sorry don’t know why there are spaces above, don’t show up on edit page!)
The practice involves training dogs to hunt and kill wild boars and is the only form of conservation hunting in Australia that pits two animals against each other.
Some consider pig-dogging as the ultimate adrenalin rush – a man’s sport on which they spend tens of thousands of dollars a year.
Others, however, say it is nothing but animal torture.
And in a move that has outraged activists and politicians, hunters have been posting videos of the brutal killings on the internet.
Most of the videos obtained by 7.30 were too distressing to broadcast.
Some show feral pigs being grossly mutilated before being re-released into forests and hunters using staple guns to close the wounds of their maimed dogs.
One video shows hunters who have caught and trapped a group of wild pigs in the name of training.
Three pigs lie dead while a young feral pig is slowly mauled to death by a pup with minimal protective armour.
The pig-dogging enthusiasts in the video are just some of many that film their kills and post them online for other like-minded hunters to watch and enjoy.
The videos are taken down soon after they are posted, before the authorities have a chance to investigate.
‘Adrenalin rush’
Pig-doggers from around the country pour into the annual Dog A Hog competition, based about 65 kilometres west of Mackay in Queensland.
Most people at the hunt have been at it for 72 hours straight. For Ryan Berrigan, there is nothing better than the thrill of hunting and killing a pig.
Mr Berrigan spends tens of thousands a year on his hobby.
“It’s the best thing since sliced bread when you come across one. When yourdogis swinging off a boar, there’s no better feeling that you get,” he said.
“You can put me on any show ride and any Disneyland parks or whatever you got, but it won’t give me the adrenalin that can. Nothing can.”
Hunters admit their dogs might get hurt but say the animals would not take part if they did not enjoy it.
Hunter Todd Hanson says it is a bigger rush hunting with a dog than using a gun.
“You’ve got to get in there and get amongst them and that. With a gun, you shoot and it’s dead,” he said.
Growing popularity
Pig-dogging is a sport that is drawing more competitors.
Hunter Greg McDaniel points to the size of crowds as an indicator of the sport’s growing popularity, comparing it to fishing.
“Sheilas do it. Sometimes it can gross out sheilas, but there’s plenty of soft blokes out there that get grossed out a bit,” he said.
Pig-dogging even has its own dedicated magazines; for the enthusiast, it is light reading.But it is the material showing up on the internet that concerns responsible hunters like Natalie Watson.
“There are a lot of people out there who don’t treat their dogs real well and that’s the big thing,” she said.
“And that’s where a lot of it comes from – people that abuse their dogs and also abuse the animals they catch, where they tie them up and let their dogs chew them up for hours and stuff like that.
“I have heard of that happening and there are quite a few people out there doing it, but they’re just the ones that spoil it for everyone else.”
“This post is as I received it via email on the 10th, sorry my PC is still misbehaving!”
Urgent Report from National Shelter Director Susie Coston
Dear Julie,
Just days ago, our Emergency Rescue Team was called to the scene of a factory pig farm where we were alerted to the horrifying abuse of a pregnant breeding pig.
What happened to this expecting mother would make your blood run cold.
As the factory farm workers tried to move her from a tiny gestation crate to a cramped farrowing pen to give birth, she was brutally kicked, beaten, and burned with an electrified cattle prod across the entire length of her body.
After the poor animal finally collapsed, workers dragged her by her ears into the crate.
When we arrived on the scene and opened Julia’s crate, she reluctantly got to her feet. But her eyes stayed fixed on us — looking from face to face as if she expected to be hit or kicked at any moment. The abusive worker referred to her as “feisty,” but all I saw was deep fear — and I was terribly worried for her.
Yet, I had no idea how urgent her situation really was.
Just eight hours after Julia arrived at our New York Shelter, this terrified, abused sow gave birth to 16 premature piglets.
Now we are caring for our rescued mother and her 16 preemies. It is touch-and-go for all of them — we have the entire staff at our national headquarters helping to provide medical care, feedings, fluids, and necessary medications 24 hours a day. “So is the person/s who did this going to be charged with animal abuse? he should be! What’s the farms name? they should also pay for the keep of this sow & her piglets, why should the get off scott free? If they are abusing pigs in this way, they need investigating.”
To help provide around-the-clock care during this critical time, a dedicated Farm Sanctuary supporter has offered to match dollar-for-dollar any contribution you make to our Emergency Rescue Fund. Your matched donation will be worth twice as much and will support this rescue and future rescues, as well as the ongoing and lifelong care of these animals and others like them.
Due to the physical and emotional stress of the abuse — followed immediately by labor — Julia’s condition is extremely fragile. We are watching her closely for any signs of change and are ready to respond.
Additionally, many of the piglets were born weighing barely 2 pounds. They are frail, hungry, and susceptible to many illnesses and ailments. One or more of these babies will need critical care — it is not a question of if but when — and expenses are already mounting quickly.
Just knowing that one of our Farm Sanctuary supporters cares enough to match contributions received through this email gives me hope — and I hope it inspires you to be as generous as possible. Together, we can save this family and others like them and give them the freedom to live their lives as the happy, intelligent animals that you and I know pigs to be — the freedom that the factory farm industry so cruelly denies.
I’ll never forget the terror in Julia’s eyes as she slowly stepped up the ramp to our transport trailer. After being kicked, shocked, dragged by her ears, and forced into a crate just days before, how could she trust us? In these initial days, we’ve shown her the friendship and love she probably has never known — and she already responds to us with the sweet gentleness of a trusted companion. But she desperately needs one more friend … you.
Across Europe millions of sows are suffering in silence. They are spending almost their entire lives in cramped, barren sow stalls and this cruelty has to end.
The EU ban on the sow stall is set to take effect from 1 January 2013 but some EU nations say they are not going to be ready on time even though the law was adopted back in 2001.
These countries have had more than a decade to prepare for the ban and we simply cannot allow this vital law to be ignored. This piece of legislation has the potential to help millions of pigs and we must act now to make sure this crucial piece of animal welfare legislation is enforced right across Europe.
Today, we need you to send a message to the organisations that represent farmers in these ill-prepared countries urging them to ensure their members are not only aware of the ban, but that they are taking action to comply with it.
These organisations represent tens of thousands of farmers across Europe and the welfare of millions of pigs is in their hands. View the list of recipients here. Please complete your details below to demand that the members of these organisations comply with the ban on time and in full.
Send our message to the leaders of farmers’ organisations in nations that won’t be ready on time for the sow stall ban*
The deadline for the full implementation of Directive 2008/120/EC on the protection of pigs: group housing of sows is 1st January 2013.
CIWF said that the mega pig factory farm in Chile is in huge trouble, as pigs have been dying and the health of the community has been put at risk.
Philip Lymbery, CEO at Compassion in World Farming said: “This appalling case is further evidence that factory farming is not just an animal cruelty issue – people and the planet are hugely impacted as well. The immense negative impact that the factory farming of half a million pigs will have had on the environment, and the local residents’ health, is staggering, both in scale and severity.”
Chilean authorities have declared a health alert at the plant, following the deaths of large numbers of pigs. According to local news reports, sows are being ‘eliminated’ to prevent new litters from being born and Agrosuper has declared that it will not be moving the pigs to another location but will be slaughtering all the remaining pigs, CIWF said.
Mr Lymbery added: “Compassion is looking to help resolve the crisis – to achieve an outcome with the best possible results for all involved, ensuring the welfare of these pigs is treated as a priority and that local residents are securely protected from any pollution. We want to ensure that such a calamity does not arise again.”
Pigs in Health Alert to be Slaughtered – 29 May 2012
According to reports from Chile, the pigs at the Agrosuper plant in Freirina will have to be slaughtered because it will be imp[ossible to transport them off the facility and to find farms for them.
The pig processing plant was closed by the government for health reasons after protests from the loical population.
The CEO of Agrosuper is reported in the local media saying: “They are going to be slaughtered. They are not going to another farm, nor to another plant.”
CHILE – Chilean Health Minister, Jaime Mañalich, has stepped in to help the residents of Freirina because of deficiencies at the Agrosuper pig processing plant in the area, where pigs have been dying and the health of the community has been put at risk
On Friday, an inspection was made at the factory and found that the company had not taken the actions they had promised,” the authority said.
The government decree has meant the closure of the plant while the health status of the facilities are assessed and so the authorities can provide a mechanism to begin to feed more than 500,000 pigs in that have not received food or water in recent days.
This was carried out by a working group comprising representatives of the Health Seremi Atacama, SAG and community members, who discussed the most effective measures to take.
The Minister Mañalich went to Agrosuper plant in Freirina, where he found that it was “completely abandoned, without workers, without supervision and pigs left to their fate”.
Community members, Minister of Health want pig factory closed as soon as possible.
Meat processing company Agrosuper’s request for a three-month extension to the mandatory evacuation of its plant in northern Chile was met with disapproval on Tuesday by government officials and locals alike.
“The company initially requested a year to close the plant, then later nine months. We believe that with the estimates of our veterinarians, and specialists, six months is a more than reasonable time period to close the plant and reduce the bad odors,” Mañalich told La Tercera .
Agrosuper reasoned that with around 50,000 pregnant pigs, they need a total of nine months because the move could cause the death of the young animals.
28 May – Emma Slawinski, Compassion’s Senior Campaigns Manager says: “There are so many factors involved in this horrendous situation. The impact that this is having on the pigs’ welfare, the health and disease risks to the local residents, the immense negative impact the factory farming of half a million pigs will have had on the environment – it is staggering, both in scale and severity.”
Chilean authorities have declared a health alert at the plant, following the deaths of large numbers of pigs. According to local news reports, sows are being ‘eliminated’ to prevent new litters from being born and Agrosuper is trying to move the pigs to another location. But this will just be moving the same problem to another place: factory farming is cruel to pigs, bad for the environment, and as has been proven in this situation, a health and disease risk.
Emma continues: “Compassion is looking to help resolve the crisis – to have an outcome with the best possible results for all involved: the helpless pigs, the pushed-to-their-limits neighbours and the workers involved.”
22 May – Mañalich Agrosuper visited the plant of Freirina: is cruel and dangerous
Health Minister was to assess the situation of the approximately 500 000 pigs left in the kennel odors emanating. He said that the animals have escaped and that his deposition could contaminate the valley.
” Concerning the dead animals the minister said that “there are several dead pigs pavilions, each pavilion has a population of about 500 pigs, inspect places that there are about ten dead pigs. The waste treatment plant there is overflow of feces pools and several pavilions are animals that escaped (…) let the plant of 500 thousand animals stranded in my opinion is an act of cruelty and also a risk to the population inconceivable. ”
Minister of Health was to assess the status of the nearly 500 000 pigs left in the kennel odors emanating. He said that the animals have escaped and that his deposition could contaminate the valley
Published on 30 May 2012 by sheshoxare805 (Translated from Spanish)
EligeVeganismo video. The opinions given in the video do not necessarily represent those of the owner of this channel. Are exclusive of what preparron this video. “We infiltrated in pig farms in Freirina Agrosuper company to document the situation of victims ignored after the social conflict that kept people and companies competing in a few weeks. present our first investigation revealed the hell of the 500,000 pigs for human consumption and held in the III region. ” Source: http://www.youtube.com/user/EligeVeganismo
Animal Equality has carried out an undercover investigation into East Anglian Pig Company, which is the third largest pig meat producer of the UK. EAP is a member of Freedom Food and is audited and monitored by Assured Food Standards (AFS). Over 120 hours of footage and recorded conversations, as well as 281 photos, provide a truly shocking insight into the so called high standards of the British pig industry.
The Animal Equality investigator documented the misery of pigs at The East Anglian Pig Company, specifically:
• Sickly piglets were killed by blunt force trauma. These animals were grasped by their hind limbs and brutally whipped head-first multiple times against a hard surface. In some instances, where the animals did not die following the blunt force head trauma, a worker tried to suffocate the piglets by placing his hand on the animal’s muzzle and then placing his foot over the throat.
• Extreme confinement within sow stalls and farrowing crates resulted in the pigs being subject to extreme movement restrictions, as they were unable to turn around.
• Stereotypies were readily observed. Female pigs were frequently observed bar-biting, and one pig demonstrated excessive swaying behaviour.
• Pigs appeared to suffer significant injuries. Deep abrasions were evident on the backs of some individuals, and several piglets were lame or paraplegic, probably as a result of spinal trauma.
• Piglets appeared to have abrasions and ulcerative lesions on their joints. Such wounds can lead to secondary infections as a result of bacterial and ammonia contamination from the environment, further perpetuating the condition.
• Several dead piglets were present in the farrowing crates, most likely to be the result of crushing from their mothers.
• Piglets were beaten in the head with an iron bar, and an adult lame pig was shown with a twine muzzle over the snout. The animal was struggling and clearly suffering.
• Several amputated tail segments were observed as a result of tail docking, which was carried out as a routine procedure. Tail docking in commercial piggery units is normally performed on young piglets without the use of anesthetic and can be a highly painful procedure.
•Workers moved adult pigs by kicking them and one female pig was repeatedly slapped and punched across her sensitive muzzle and head.
• Weaners were thrown aggressively around by their fragile limbs.
•A worker grabbed an adult pig by his tail for restraint whilst cutting and hacking the caudal thigh. The animal was not afforded any sedation or anesthesia.
WARNING – Viewer Discretion advised – but everyone should see this – You need to know where your meat comes from & the abuses the animals have to suffer!!
Sow stalls are cruel and inhumane. Yet, across Europe, millions of pigs spend around 300 days a year inside these metal cages – right from the start of each pregnancy up until the week before they give birth.
A complete ban on the use of sow stalls is long overdue. And, in the EU, from 1st January 2013 it will be illegal to use them except for the first 4 weeks of pregnancy. This is a massive step forward for pig welfare.
But this momentous law is in grave danger.
The Polish Government recently revealed that they believe over 2,000 of their pig farms will not comply on time, leaving thousands of pigs suffering illegally inside cages. We simply cannot allow this to happen.
We are now asking supporters to write to the main farming organisations in Poland urging them to ensure their members are aware of the ban and are taking action accordingly. Poland looks set to have more than twice the number of non-compliant farms than any other EU nation, so please take action to help turn this shocking situation around.
Two former Essex slaughterhouse workers are to be charged with animal cruelty after footage appeared to show pigs being attacked.
Piotr Andrzej Wasiuta, 29, from Southend, will appear in court accused of stubbing out a lighted cigarette on the snout of one of the animals at Orchard Farm, in Brentwood.
Kelly Smith, 40, from Benfleet, is facing prosecution for striking a pig with a baton, the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said.
Simon Clements, of the CPS, said he had advised the Food Standards Agency that there was sufficient prospect for conviction after footage was obtained by the animal rights group, Animal Aid, in March and April last year. Both are accused of offences while working for Cheale Meats.
Andrzej Wasiuta faces three charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a pig by applying a lighted cigarette to its snout, while Smith faces four charges of causing unnecessary suffering to a pig.
Referring to Smith, Mr Clements said: “Two of the charges relate to failing to ensure that a lame pig was not humanely slaughtered immediately and two of the charges relate to striking a pig with a baton.”
He added: “This decision was taken in accordance with the code for Crown Prosecutors.
“After careful consideration of all the evidence, I am satisfied there is sufficient evidence for a realistic prospect of conviction and it is in the public interest to prosecute this case.”
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
You can find out more about me & this blog by reading "ABOUT THIS BLOG" on the menu (when i finish it) lol
PLEASE NOTE.....
Not all of my posts will be current news, or even about animal abuse! I do like to share other animal news, uplifting stories or videos; some that are funny or just touch the heart!
If I have anything to say on any post, you will see it in bold blue writing. I try to remain a lady, but it's hard to contain my anger & emotions at the some of the stories I post; I don’t have a heart of stone, tears stain many articles I write!
Lastly, my apologies for any errors; I am learning whilst posting, so if you find anything that doesn't work or a broken link, sorry, I'm only human!!!!
ABOUT THESE POSTS
I would just like to make readers aware, that I search for stories on the internet; regards animal abuse etc. I copy stories etc. from the internet; assuming these stories are correct at time of publishing. Having said that, sometimes the press get it wrong! So I just want to add that at the time of me posting a news story, I presume all the facts seem present & correct.
Please note....all people mentioned in this blog, are presumed innocent, until proven otherwise, in a court of law.
For anyone wishing to connect to me via my Facebook page...PLEASE NOTE, ONLY PEOPLE I ADD AS ANIMAL ADVOCATES CAN SEE MY WHOLE PAGE...I do this out of respect for those friends I have who do not wish to see graphic images, videos or links of animal abuse!
As 99% of my page is animal related; anyone not in the above group of friends; will only see a limited amount of posts!!
DUE TO ANIMAL HATERS...I WILL ONLY ADD PEOPLE WHO CAN PROVE WHO THEY ARE via Facebook, Wordpress, Twitter etc. & WHO HAVE A GENUINE INTEREST IN ANIMAL WELFARE... i.e. if your Facebook page has absolutely nothing to do with animals, I see no point in joining my page. My Facebook is solely for animal welfare, I am not interested in playing games etc. I don't mean to sound rude but I am not interested in the amount of friends I have, its the quality of those friends that count.
PLEASE DO NOT SEND REQUESTS FOR YOUR FRIENDS TO JOIN. I do not want anyone to be upset by graphic images etc.
My aim is to educate & raise awareness to the horrors animals face, at the hands of humans, every day, around the world!!
We can not hope to achieve better laws, to protect animals, unless we unite as one, to speak up for those who are voiceless!!
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This suffering pig – now named “Julia” – is safe at 
Donate now to have your gift go twice as far during this urgent time.
DUE TO THE NATURE OF THIS BLOG - SOME PICTURES & VIDEOS CAN & WILL BE VERY GRAPHIC - SO PLEASE, VIEW THIS BLOG AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.
STOP ANIMAL ABUSE 
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