Pigs Stabbed with Swords While Workers Laugh on Spanish Pig Farm
- Animal Equality has released whistleblower footage from a pig farm in Spain.
- The videos show workers stabbing pigs with blunt swords, laughing, and posing for the camera.
- In one scene, a pregnant pig is cut open while still alive as workers pull her piglets from her body.
- Workers reach into the conscious pig for several minutes, rummaging through her body and tearing out her internal organs.
- A former employee said the violence was routine and encouraged by the farm owners.
- In 2008, the farm won an industry award for excellence and animal welfare.
- Two workers later received one-year prison sentences and three-year bans on working with animals.
- At the time, two other defendants were reported to be on the run.
- The case drew international coverage, including reports by The Sun, El Mundo, and Daily Mail.
Update September 27, 2016: Two workers were sentenced to one year in prison and banned from working with animals for three years. This is the harshest penalty for farmed animal abuse in Spain’s history. Two other defendants remain at large.
The story has been reported by The Sun, Daily Mail, El Mundo, and Today.it.
Update February 29, 2012: The farm’s manager was arrested, bringing the total number of arrests to four. All were suspended for only one month before returning to work on the farm.
Update February 23, 2012: Within 48 hours of Animal Equality reporting the case to authorities, police detained three workers.
At a pig farm in El Escobar, Spain, a whistleblower recorded scenes of extreme animal abuse now released by Animal Equality. Advocates say the footage ranks among the worst they have ever seen.
The video shows workers:
- Stabbing pigs repeatedly with long, blunt swords.
- Twisting swords into pigs’ bodies to deepen their wounds.
- Laughing and posing for the camera as the bleeding pigs scream.
- Tying a pregnant pig as she tries to escape, cutting her open, and pulling piglets from her body while alive.
- Rummaging through the pig’s body for several minutes, tearing out organs as she writhes in pain.
- Beating pigs on the head with iron bars, kicking them, jumping on them, and slamming their elbows into their bodies.
- Leaving pigs to die slowly, their organs scattered on the ground.
In one clip, a worker flexes his biceps over a dying animal while another mocks, “Rest in peace.”
Today, Animal Equality submitted the findings to the Plaza de Castilla courts in Madrid. Spanish authorities–along with veterinary staff from the Region of Murcia–have already inspected the farm. Further developments are still unfolding.
“The pigs were clearly in severe pain, struggled to escape, and took some time to die… [A]busive and callous behaviour included menacing a pig that was unable to retreat by poking the sword almost into its eyeball, kicking recumbent pigs, and laughing at and apparently mocking dying pigs.” – Andrew Knight, Oxford Center for Animal Ethics
Violence encouraged by farm owners
A former employee told Animal Equality that violence was routine at the farm. He said the owners knew about the abuse, encouraged it, and sometimes took part themselves.
According to his account, such cruelty was treated as a normal part of slaughter.
He reported witnessing more than 50 pigs stabbed with swords—an act repeated weekly since he began work in 2009.
“It is the most horrific thing I have seen in my career regarding the treatment of animals.” – Miguel Rodriguez Castaño, Veterinary Hospital at the University of Madrid
“The actions of these workers would violate the ethical standards and animal welfare legislation of any civilised nation, and would normally attract the most serious punishments allowable under the law.” – Andrew Knight, Oxford Center for Animal Ethics
A global network of cruelty
The pigs on this farm were raised for El Pozo, a supplier linked to Morrisons–one of the U.K.’s largest supermarket chains.
After the connection became public, El Pozo filed a police report and spoke out against the farm to distance itself from the controversy.
However, Animal Equality has documented similar abuse in factory farms and slaughterhouses around the world.
The violence in Spain, investigators say, is part of a global system—and the United States is no exception.
View the full investigation library.
A call for accountability
Animal Equality is calling for stronger laws to protect farmed animals and an end to animal cruelty globally.
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