Investigations

In late 2022, Animal Equality conducted a two-month drone investigation into Scotland’s salmon and trout industry, exposing the harsh realities of fish farming. Footage reveals overcrowded pens, fish violently thrown and arriving at slaughter—bruised and bloody—left to suffocate, and even killed while still conscious.

Animal Equality has released footage from a large pig farm in Lombardy, Italy—part of a series of investigations since 2019 exposing animal suffering at facilities marketing products as “Made-in-Italy excellence.” The investigation shows pigs with untreated sores and wounds, dying animals left in their own waste, piglets’ bodies torn apart, and buckets of rotting remains. Animal Equality is urging authorities to take immediate legal action against the farm.

For the first time, Animal Equality has investigated the live transport of animals in Mexico. The images captured were obtained between 2016 and 2018, showing the inhumane conditions in which pigs, chickens and cows are transported to farms and slaughterhouses. Among the findings were serious violations of the Official Mexican Standard that regulates the transport of animals. These guidelines are meant to reduce the suffering of animals, but are rarely enforced.

In a two-part investigation, undercover investigators show American horses at the Cárnicas de Jerez slaughterhouse in Zacatecas, Mexico. The horses are identified as coming from the United States by the yellow USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) tag stuck to their bodies. In the second part, new images show what happens inside Mexican slaughterhouses. Tired and injured horses are hung by their necks with chains and forced to move with electric shocks. Animals were also found to be killed while conscious.

Animal Equality’s investigation of a dairy farm in India revealed workers abusing a female buffalo as they attempted to load her onto a transport truck headed for the slaughterhouse. Investigators captured images of workers beating and twisting her tail, repeatedly pushing a stick into her genitals to induce pain, causing her to bleed, and pouring water over her nose and mouth to make her feel like she was drowning. Animal Equality has denounced these crimes and provided all the evidence to the Animal Welfare Board of India.

Animal Equality has investigated 34 slaughterhouses across Mexico over the past 6 years. The images collected show that cows, pigs, and other animals experience pain, stress, and anguish. Our investigators exposed workers hitting, kicking, and shocking animals with electrical devices. Animal Equality is promoting a historic amendment to the constitution that will legally recognize animals as sentient beings whose interests must be protected in Mexico.  

Animal Equality has released a new investigation exposing the grim conditions on a large Italian chicken farm. Filmed between 2019 and 2022, the footage shows piles of dead birds among the living and fast-growing chickens so oversized they cannot reach food or water.

In Brazil, the proposed “Self-Control” bill would reduce government oversight in slaughterhouses by allowing companies to conduct their own inspections. Animal Equality’s investigation revealed severe abuse under limited supervision, including workers beating and shocking cows, ineffective stunning leading to slaughter while conscious, and animals skinned or dismembered alive. Following the release, over 40 organizations joined Animal Equality in urging senators to reject the bill.

Animal Equality investigated multiple pig farms in Jalisco, Mexico, documenting routine mutilations of newborn piglets, including tail docking, teeth clipping, and castration—all without anesthesia. The investigation also revealed pigs with untreated injuries and extreme stress, exhibiting behaviors like chewing on metal bars and aggression due to overcrowding and filthy conditions.

Animal Equality collected seven chickens from an Italian factory farm for analysis by veterinary specialists, revealing severe health issues caused by genetic selection for rapid, oversized growth—bone damage, poor circulation and breathing, and organ failure. Animal Equality is calling on the Italian government to ban breeding practices that force animals to live in chronic suffering.

Animal Equality investigators covertly filmed widespread cruelty at Madox Farm in Carmarthenshire, South Wales. Over several months, footage shows workers kicking and punching cows, twisting tails, and striking them with metal shovels, while managers repeatedly allowed animals to suffer prolonged pain. In one case, a cow was left in excruciating pain after her unborn calf had died inside of her. Madox Farm supplies milk to Freshways, the UK’s largest independent dairy processor, and the investigation was broadcast to millions on BBC’s Panorama.

Every year, millions of lambs are transported to Italy from other European countries, often enduring journeys of up to 1,200 miles in brutal, overcrowded conditions. Animal Equality investigators documented these long trips, revealing severe suffering and legal violations, which were reported to authorities. The investigation was conducted in collaboration with the German Animal Welfare Foundation (AWF) and Italy’s National Animal Protection Agency (ENPA).