The Pork Industry Exposed
Discover the Shocking Truth
Clear Violation of Animal Welfare Standards
This footage was captured at a farm with Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certification. The National Pork Board started PQA Plus because consumers wanted better treatment for pigs. The program sets standards for care, including handling medical issues and euthanasia. This investigation is the latest to reveal how ineffective this certification really is.
Some of the Most Gruesome Footage Mercy For Animals Has Ever Released
Terrified pigs in severe pain are improperly euthanized with a captive-bolt gun. Pregnant pigs, many ill and injured, are confined to gestation crates, unable to lie down comfortably or turn around. Sick and injured piglets are thrown in a pile to die as dead piglets are tossed on top of them.
Deceiving the Public
The pork industry claims that PQA Plus certification ensures that pork is safe and animals are well treated, likely misleading the government and public. We must urge Congress to support the Pigs and Public Health Act, which would establish real, enforceable standards for the treatment of pigs.
Clear Violation of Animal Welfare Standards
This footage was captured at a farm with Pork Quality Assurance (PQA) Plus certification. The National Pork Board started PQA Plus because consumers wanted better treatment for pigs. The program sets standards for care, including handling medical issues and euthanasia. This investigation is the latest to reveal how ineffective this certification really is.
Some of the Most Gruesome Footage Mercy For Animals Has Ever Released
Terrified pigs in severe pain are improperly euthanized with a captive-bolt gun. Pregnant pigs, many ill and injured, are confined to gestation crates, unable to lie down comfortably or turn around. Sick and injured piglets are thrown in a pile to die as dead piglets are tossed on top of them.
Deceiving the Public
The pork industry claims that PQA Plus certification ensures that pork is safe and animals are well treated, likely misleading the government and public. We must urge Congress to support the Pigs and Public Health Act, which would establish real, enforceable standards for the treatment of pigs.
Animal welfare scientists have analyzed undercover investigative footage from the past 10 years.
A History of Cruelty
Insight from Undercover InvestigatorsSeaboard Foods, 2014
The Maschhoffs, 2017
Tosh Farms, 2018
“I observed a pig who appeared to be in too much pain to put weight on his front legs. Supporting himself with only his hind legs, he had his face on the ground. I saw workers kick, hit, and drag the screeching pig into an empty pen for euthanasia with a bolt gun. The pig’s front knees appeared to be cut and bloodied from being shoved and forcibly moved.”
“Workers moved piglets using a board and a rattling bottle. They shook the bottle and hit the sides of the crates to drive the piglets forward. They also kicked the piglets at times, and at one point a worker hit the piglets with the rattling bottle to get them to move.”
“A worker placed his pistol against a sow’s forehead and pulled the trigger. The sow screamed as the pistol’s bolt punctured her upper forehead. She began to run away, and I saw blood dripping from her wound. She did not appear to have been stunned at all. He tried again but missed his target as she frantically tried to get away. This time he shot her in the neck. The wound bled as she flailed. By this point the sow seemed even more frightened and frantic.”
Seaboard Foods, 2014
“I observed a pig who appeared to be in too much pain to put weight on his front legs. Supporting himself with only his hind legs, he had his face on the ground. I saw workers kick, hit, and drag the screeching pig into an empty pen for euthanasia with a bolt gun. The pig’s front knees appeared to be cut and bloodied from being shoved and forcibly moved.”
The Maschhoffs, 2017
“Workers moved piglets using a board and a rattling bottle. They shook the bottle and hit the sides of the crates to drive the piglets forward. They also kicked the piglets at times, and at one point a worker hit the piglets with the rattling bottle to get them to move.”
Tosh Farms, 2018
“A worker placed his pistol against a sow’s forehead and pulled the trigger. The sow screamed as the pistol’s bolt punctured her upper forehead. She began to run away, and I saw blood dripping from her wound. She did not appear to have been stunned at all. He tried again but missed his target as she frantically tried to get away. This time he shot her in the neck. The wound bled as she flailed. By this point the sow seemed even more frightened and frantic.”
10 Years of Undercover Investigations
Their Pain in Pictures
Cruelty Critics
The images demonstrate disregard for the welfare of these animals. Egregious examples include an operator stepping on the head of a pig, with the aim of removing ear tags with a knife and—very importantly—without properly verifying that the animal had indeed been effectively stunned and was unconscious. It would not be surprising if the dehumanizing, stressful, and dangerous conditions that workers in industrial swine production settings typically face on a daily basis had contributed to the lack of empathy shown by the operators towards these pigs.
The euthanasia process viewed was far from the promised ethical standard of “no unnecessary pain.” Unfortunately, it is quite unlikely that the circumstances pictured at this facility represent an industry outlier.
The first stun attempt is clearly ineffective, as the animal still stands up, whereas an effective captive bolt stun leads to immediate collapse of the animal’s body on the floor. The second stun attempt is also ineffective, as the pig still shows eye blinking in a way that suggests that the pig is still at least partly conscious. Therefore, the request for a third shot is justified.