Pigs Killed in Slaughterhouse Transport Accident in Spain

Many of the animals were immediately killed or critically injured from the crash, while others (including those injured) were trapped inside the truck for over five hours, suffering while authorities tried to assess the situation.

THE DETAILS: Deafening shrieks could be heard for two hours after the crash before finally going silent as the hurt pigs succumbed to their injuries. It took hours for transport company officials to open the truck to check on the pigs, with the neglect displayed by those officials frustrating our team on the ground. We pleaded for someone to help the injured pigs, but those requests were ignored. Sadly, we filmed dead pigs—sometimes two-by-two—unceremoniously hoisted from the wreckage by crane and dumped into another truck. We also filmed one injured pig who had escaped, languishing tied-up by the side of the road. Our team watched in horror as the surviving pigs were ushered into a new transport truck, struck and kicked by workers to force them inside, and again taken to be slaughtered. 

WE ARE ASKING FOR CHANGE: Our team in Spain is demanding the development of protocols that guarantee adequate and humane treatment for the animals involved in accidents like this one. In addition, we are asking Spain’s Ministry of Agriculture and Food to publicize the actual methods used when these animals are slaughtered and clearly reveal what standards and protocols have (and have not) been followed.

WHAT WE’RE SAYING: “This tragic episode emphasizes the need for the creation of strict protocols to assist animals when accidents like this occur. It also stresses the need for us to rethink our consumption of animals,” says Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality.

IT’S TIME TO EVOLVE: Unfortunately, painful injuries and death during transport are all too common for animals being sent to slaughter. For example, industry studies have revealed a 1% loss of life for pigs during such transport, even when no car crash has occured. With over 120 million pigs slaughtered each year in the US alone, that adds up to over 1 million pigs horribly killed even before they reach the slaughterhouse. Stricter protocols need to be in place to eliminate the inhumane injuries and deaths of these animals, but above all else, our society needs to evolve past our need for animal products and embrace more compassionate and plant-based lifestyles for our health, our planet, and the animals. 

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