Dead piglets, botched mutilations exposed on Spain pig farms
- An investigation into nine pig farms in Spain reveals widespread cruelty in the pig farming industry.
- Investigators found dead piglets in mothers’ water troughs and a stillborn piglet lodged halfway in a mother’s birth canal.
- Pigs are purposely bred to have oversized litters. With too few teats, many piglets were left unable to nurse and starved.
- One piglet was filmed with an open wound near his testicles after a botched castration without anesthesia.
- Meanwhile, carts holding dead animals and placentas were left out overnight.
- Investigators say these findings reflect a broader pattern seen in pig farms around the world—including the U.S.
Across nine farms in Spain’s Aragón region, investigators found suffering treated as routine—and regulators who allowed it to continue.
Animal Equality’s latest investigation shows:
- Dead and dying piglets piled in corridors and wheelbarrows
- Decomposing piglets inside mothers’ drinking troughs
- A mother pig with a stillborn piglet lodged in her birth canal, their rear legs protruding
- A piglet with nearly all the skin stripped from their back, exposing muscle beneath
Mothers were bred to produce oversized litters—often more piglets than teats—leaving many newborns to starve. Some became so desperate they tried to nurse from mothers’ genitals and backs.
“[This] is the consequence of an industry that treats animals as disposable objects and a government that prefers to look the other way.”
Anna Mulá, Legislative Advocacy Manager at Animal Equality
Widespread injuries and newborn death
Across all nine pig farms, investigators documented untreated illnesses and injuries.
Pigs struggled with large tumors, infections, lameness, and labored breathing. Several had wounds filled with dirt or pus, inflamed areas as large as a soccer ball, and severe uterine prolapses.
Many piglets died within their first day from lack of oxygen. Some lay behind their mothers, still covered in placenta.
Botched and illegal mutilations
Despite a ban on routine tail docking in the European Union, nearly all pigs had their tails cut off without anesthesia.
Across the farms, investigators found buckets of tail stumps and severed testicles. One piglet had open holes from a botched castration. Filthy tools used for mutilation were found unattended, sitting on floors coated with excrement.
Corpses, feces, and maggots
According to investigators, hygiene laws were routinely ignored.
Feeders and waterers were coated with feces. Severed tails were left on the floor or piled in open buckets.
Carts holding dead animals and placentas sat overnight, with many bodies already decomposing. Rodents, maggots, and larvae moved freely through the barns.
Extreme confinement of mother pigs
Mother pigs were kept for months in cages so small they couldn’t turn around. Many bit the metal bars until their mouths bled, showing clear signs of psychological distress.
Pigs in these crates had cuts, abrasions, and boils from rubbing against the tight metal bars. Even in group pens, pigs were crowded and visibly agitated.
Spanish leaders in the hot seat
Despite being the EU’s largest pig meat producer, oversight in Spain is severely limited. Only 1% to 3% of farms are inspected each year, and most are warned in advance.
Lawmakers have taken little action, even after years of reports and complaints. Advocates say pressure from the factory farming industry has led to policies that protect profits, not animals.
“Government indifference keeps an industry based on cruelty intact. Spain cannot continue to be the shame of Europe.”
Javier Moreno, co-founder of Animal Equality
A story that keeps unfolding
These Spanish farms are just one more stop on a trail investigators have followed worldwide.
In Kansas, investigators filmed pregnant pigs unable to turn around in metal crates. Dead piglets were lifted into wheelbarrows, and an adult pig was shot and left to die as the rest watched.
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Elsewhere in Europe, similar scenes have played out.
In Italy, piglets’ heads and limbs lay scattered across a farm. In Germany, cameras caught workers breaking piglets’ necks and spray-painting a struggling piglet.
And in the U.K., investigators have documented workers killing piglets with hammers.
Readers can explore the full body of evidence in Animal Equality’s investigation library.
The footage is out. Now what?
- Start by sharing this investigation with someone close to you. Factory farms operate out of sight, and awareness often begins with a single conversation.
- Then, experiment with a plant-based meal. For a full library of accessible recipes, visit Love Veg today.
SAVE ANIMALS FROM ABUSE
Pigs, cows, and other animals feel pain and deserve to be protected from abuse.
You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant‑based alternatives.
