Pigs kept in 'coffin-like confinement', activists say of undercover investigation
Which The Cruelty' Took Farms, Pig 'blatant The As They Activists Secret Of Recordings On Described Conditions
An undercover investigation carried out by animal rights activists has found a litany of cruelty in some of Ireland’s pig farms.
The investigation, which was conducted in January by Animal Rebellion Ireland and the National Animal Rights Association, saw footage secretly recorded of the bodies of dead pigs lying on top of each other, along with pregnant and breast-feeding pigs unable to turn around in farrowing crates.
The activist groups claim the animals were in cramped "coffin-like confinement" using sow stalls, while others had "seeming untreated wounds and injuries and some pigs had their tails cut off to stop tail biting".
The secret recordings were made in farms around Ireland that were picked randomly, and the footage and details of the investigation have been given to the Department of Agriculture, according to the groups involved.
Both the National Animal Rights Association and Animal Rebellion Ireland will present their footage and findings at a press conference this morning in Dublin.
Dr Alice Brough, former British pig industry vet and whistleblower is expected to attend.
There are currently around 270 pig farms in Ireland. The groups claim up to 3.4million pigs are slaughtered in Ireland every year.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Animal Rebellion said: “Pigs and the conditions they are reared under are normally kept far from public view, and this investigation clearly shows why that is.
“When you witness pig farming firsthand, you see that even those practices that are legal under current legislation led to immense suffering. If people knew what really happens on pig farms, they would be outraged."
While Laura Broxson, spokesperson for the National Animal Rights Association, said: “We were expecting it [the investigation] to be bad, but we were not fully prepared for the horrors we witnessed.
“Inside these awful sheds, as you will see from the video, are pigs in sow stalls, farrowing crates, fattening pens, and dead and dying pigs just left to struggle in gangways.
“There were many pigs and piglets sick and injured. Some were biting the bars of their pens repeatedly, which is a stress-induced stereotypical behaviour. Others were fearful or just broken. The sadness and distress they displayed was undeniable.
“What you can’t see in the video is the nauseating stench of faeces, urine, and decay. What is vividly clear, though, is the blatant cruelty and complete absence of the hint of compassion towards the animals.
The groups are calling for the pig farming industry to be shut down immediately. The Department of Agriculture has been contacted.