Shock undercover investigation in a farm in the province of Lodi: dozens of pigs with injuries and immersed in sewage and abused piglets, a complaint is triggered for the plant
Pigs covered with wounds left agonizing in the middle of the sewage, piglets thrown violently against the wall, others suffering inside the farrowing cages: these are scenes worthy of a horror film, immortalized inside a farm in Sant'Angelo Lodigiano (Lauds). To document the horror behind the production of the PDO ham the organization Being Animals.
The gruesome images were filmed during an inspection carried out by the team of investigators who, after noting the presence of critical conditions (accumulation of hundreds of dead piglets and irregularly disposed of) placed a hidden camera in the facility. Following the undercover inspection, Be Animals reported the serious situation to the NAS of Cremona and ATS Milan, which then confirmed the violations of animal welfare, including the presence of 20 pigs with lameness and injuries considered 'serious' and 20 with injuries considered 'mild', left in the pens together with the other animals instead of being taken care of.
The management methods of the sick animals did not comply, as well as the system for the removal of manure. - Explain the activists of Be Animals - Several prescriptions have been given: in addition to having to move sick animals and improve the sewage disposal system, the farmer must ensure the animals the presence of suitable material that can be manipulated in every sector of the farm; replace the damaged parts of the structures capable of injuring the animals, but also change some flooring, including those of the farrowing cages, which do not comply with the regulations due to the absence of the correct full / crack ratio and the absence of an area with surface continues for piglets.
As if the cruelty wasn't enough, it emerged that the farm was not licensed to hold stocks of veterinary drugs, yet undeclared stocks of medicines were found in a cupboard.
*** ATTENTION! STRONG IMAGES ***
The serious maltreatment of pigs and piglets documented in the farm
The video shot by the investigators of Being Animals shows a creepy scenario:
- the presence of pigs with numerous wounds and injuries
- dozens of buckets containing piglet corpses, left in front of the cages with the sows and outside the farm, next to the non-functioning cold store
- dead piglets and other dying pigs inside the farrowing cages, some with legs or parts of the body wedged into the structure and flooring
- a general neglect in the management of the farm, with the presence of sharp parts that can injure the animals (an aspect that could partly explain the high mortality rate of piglets).
- evident hygienic-sanitary deficiencies, with pigs forced to live in the midst of feces, and with a high presence of rats that defecate both inside the housing pens and in the feed;
- many pigs with mutilated tails (this could indicate that piglet tails are systematically trimmed in the farm, which is an illegal operation)
@Being Animals
The tortures inflicted on pigs
Undercover footage from Be Animal activists documented terrible scenes:
- a worker who violently bangs two piglets against the wall in order to kill them (procedure not compliant with the legislation as the percussive emergency killing must be carried out using a suitable tool with which to hit a specific part of the head;
- operators who handle weaned piglets in brutal ways that cause great suffering (since the animals are grabbed by the legs inadequately and then thrown into the enclosures alongside)
- a worker who, while mutilating the piglets, places the organic remains in the sow's manger
The situation that our investigators found in the Sant'Angelo Lodigiano pig farm is by no means an exception in the intensive farming system. - emphasize the activists of Be Animals - Only in the last two years, the investigative work of Be Animals has led to the denunciation of 9 farms. It is now clear that these are not isolated cases. For this reason we ask the institutions to intervene urgently to change the current system of controls on farms, which are the responsibility of the Ministry of Health, because it is clear that there are many offenses that escape official inspections. Furthermore, we think it is essential to start a path that facilitates the abandonment of intensive production methods towards more sustainable systems.
Source: Being Animals
Read also:
- Intensive farmed meat? We may never know (despite the new labels)
- The truth behind Made in Italy: pigs full of worms, abandoned carcasses and sewage spills
- Pigs killed with hammering, the shock video in a "regular" farm for Lidl and other large supermarkets
