Investigations

At a large-scale pig farm in Brescia, our investigators documented animal mistreatment and poor slurry management. Slurry—a liquid mixture of animal waste, urine, and water—was found outside designated containment tanks. Because it contains high levels of ammonia, untreated slurry can seriously harm the environment and pose risks to public health.

In collaboration with Italian television, Animal Equality released an investigation exposing the reality for pigs raised for meat in Northern Italy—a region promoting its products as the “Excellence of Made in Italy.” Working with journalist Roberta Spinelli, our team visited a Brescia pig farm and documented severe abuse and suffering, revealing conditions far removed from the idyllic image of contented animals on green pastures often presented by local producers.

Animal Equality released undercover footage from a Scottish Salmon Company slaughter facility, which supplies major UK supermarkets and international retailers, including in the U.S. Shot by an undercover investigator and featured in The Times, the footage is the first of its kind in the UK, revealing the brutal methods used to kill farmed salmon.

Animal Equality released undercover footage showing animals suffering on a German farm supplying Wiesenhof, the country’s largest chicken producer. At a chicken meat farm in Saxony-Anhalt from February to April 2020, multiple animal welfare violations were documented. After receiving the footage, Animal Equality filed a complaint with the relevant German authorities.

In honor of International Animal Rights Day, Animal Equality released a new investigation that reveals that wet markets in China continue to sell and slaughter dogs and cats for meat, despite media reports and statements from the country’s government proclaiming otherwise. According to research, more than 10 million dogs and 4 million cats are killed for consumption each year in the country.

From February 2019 to October 2020, Animal Equality investigated chicken farms and meat markets across Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana—key poultry-producing states in India. Investigators documented crippled birds unable to walk or reach food and water, severely ill chickens dying from starvation, heart attacks, and respiratory infections, and carcasses of dead birds left to rot alongside the living.

Nine months after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic, Animal Equality released an investigation showing that China’s wet markets remain in operation. Filmed in May 2020 with the help of local activists, the footage reveals live animals—including turtles, frogs, ducks, geese, and pigeons—being sold in close confinement with species that would never naturally coexist. Scientists link wet markets to the origin of COVID-19, and research shows that these conditions create an ideal environment for animal-borne diseases.

Between June and September 2020, Animal Equality investigators visited Kinswood Eggs in the UK multiple times. Hens were found crammed into overcrowded cages, each with less space than a sheet of paper. Many suffered severe feather loss and raw, exposed skin, while some died and were left to decay alongside living birds. The investigation was released in collaboration with The Daily Mail.

An investigation by a coalition of animal protection organizations exposes the mistreatment of animals exported from Spain to the Middle East, where welfare protections are limited. Conducted by Animals International and the Animal Welfare Foundation, in collaboration with Animal Equality and Compassion in World Farming, the investigation documents severe suffering during transport from Spain and the brutal conditions of their slaughter.

Animal Equality UK released distressing scenes of severe animal suffering on eight British chicken farms across Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, with our undercover filming revealing hundreds of birds suffering agonizing deaths each day. The investigation was featured as an exclusive in The Independent.

Using drone footage, Animal Equality released an investigation highlighting the environmental risks posed by pig farms in Mexico. The short documentary Enemy of the Planet shows two industrial pig farms in Jalisco, housing over 89,000 pigs, and aims to raise awareness of the ecological damage caused by industrial livestock farming.

Animal Equality investigators captured footage showing pigs raised for consumption enduring cruel treatment on industrial farms in Brazil. Narrated in Portuguese by actress Ellen Jabour, the video shows pigs being beaten with electrified sticks and forced to live in their own feces and urine, highlighting the unsanitary conditions of these farms.