120 days inside one of Germany’s largest pig farms

For four months, an Animal Equality
investigator went undercover
inside a pig breeding facility in the heart of Germany.
The facility confines around 25,000 animals,
enough to fill seven football fields. At 120 days,
this is the longest undercover investigation
conducted by Animal Equality.
The extensive evidence shows that
what we found are not isolated incidents.
Animal suffering is part of the global pork industry.
Footage reveals shocking violations of the law,
including illegal killings,
abuse, neglect, and routine mutilations.
Our investigation shows mother pigs
and their piglets being killed
by inexperienced workers.
In one instance,
a worker kills two piglets
by violently twisting their necks until they snap.
This cruel practice is illegal in Germany.
During a vaccination,
a worker hurls a piglet head first onto the concrete floor,
killing them instantly. In an attempt to hide his cruelty,
the worker then tries to cover up his actions.
In another instance,
a worker crushes a piglet's neck under his boot.
He then slit the animal's throat without proper stunning.
This worker cuts another piglet's throat
at the killing table.
Their fragile body lies, still breathing
under a pile of dead piglets.
The bodies of these animals
are then disposed of like garbage.
This worker chases an injured pig.
He attempts to stun the animal with a captive bolt gun.
The stun fails,
leaving the bolt lodged in the pig's skull.
He then knocks the animal to the ground
with a wooden plank.
Animal welfare experts commented, calling the incident
a lack of expertise
and deliberate animal cruelty.
During the investigation, we documented
repeated cases of abuse against both mother pigs
and their piglets.
The animals are kicked by staff and deliberately harmed.
Workers throw piglets across the facility,
their small bodies flying through the air.
In the process,
the animals slam into the hard floor with full force.
Their legs and heads take most of the impact.
As this worker separates piglets from their mothers,
one of the piglets refuses to move.
The worker sits on the piglet and punches them
repeatedly in the face.
Workers deliberately restrict the breathing and movement
of several piglets,
leaving them gasping for air and struggling to move.
In this instance, a piglet is shoved head
first into a feed trough and abandoned
there.
The skin of this piglet is defaced with paint,
purely for the workers' amusement.
Shortly after giving birth,
mother
pigs are confined inside so-called "farrowing crates."
They remain here for five weeks,
until their piglets are weaned.
Piglets nurse from their mothers,
who are unable to turn around
or lie comfortably between the tight, metal bars.
Mother pigs often suffer from painful pressure sores.
Our investigator documented
these sores on the animals' legs and shoulders.
Several severely injured
mother pigs are left untreated in the farrowing crates.
An antibacterial spray is the only sign of care.
Piglets destined for slaughter
are collected in a catch basin at the killing table.
They are left there overnight and deprived of food, water,
or the warmth of a heat lamp.
Animal Equality's
investigator captured footage of a veterinarian
performing castration of older piglets
through a belly incision.
The piglets are hung upside down on a ladder.
Their small bodies swing as the incisions are made.
For some pigs,
stitches are not used.
They are left at risk of infection,
raising questions
about the veterinarian's qualifications. In this instance,
a piglet is being castrated
without any disinfection of the incision site.
Despite being sedated, their movements and cries
make it clear they can feel the pain.
Piglets on factory farms are mutilated
to prevent them
from biting each other's tails and ears out of stress.
Mutilations include tail removal and castration,
which are done without anesthesia.
Although an EU regulation prohibits
the routine mutilation of piglets'
tails, there is suspicion that
the company is ignoring the ban.
Animal Equality will do everything we can
to hold these abusers accountable
and bring animals justice.
We have provided this evidence to authorities
and filed criminal charges.
But we can't end this cruelty alone,
especially when the suffering of animals
is happening around the world,
including in the United States.
The factory farming industry depends on the cruelty
we've captured to make money,
but you can protect animals by hitting the industry
where it hurts: its profits.
By choosing plant-based proteins,
you can protect pigs, cows, chickens,
and other animals at every meal.
Saving lives is as simple as our food choices,
and our food choices are as simple as visiting Love Veg
to get started.
Choose compassion. Choose plant-based.