Animal Equality Urges Mexico City to Ban Cruel Backyard Slaughter
THE DETAILS: We’ve presented Mexico City Congress with a bill that could help put an end to some animal slaughter practices that cause prolonged and painful deaths by holding abusers accountable for their actions. If approved, those who run unregulated slaughterhouses could face up to 5 years in prison and those who work in such a facility could face up to 4 years. Currently, slaughter regulations in the area are loosely enforced and countless animals are killed in ways that cause them extreme fear and pain.
ANIMALS SUFFERING IN SECRET: In November, Animal Equality released footage of backyard pens and underground slaughterhouses in the states Hidalgo and Mexico. Our footage shows:
- Animals dragged by their limbs
- Lambs fully conscious as they are tied-up and decapitated
- Workers killing more than three lambs at the same time, one next to the other
- Minors witnessing the killings and in some cases, carrying out the slaughter of the animals
- The animals mortally injured and left to bleed to death
- Plus numerous actions that violated Mexican Official Standards
WHAT WE’RE SAYING: “Animal Equality’s legislative work focuses on reducing, and hopefully ending, the suffering of animals, but without penalties that strongly punish those who ignore the law, we will continue to demonstrate against and denounce extremely cruel practices,” says Dulce Ramírez, director of Animal Equality in Mexico
WHAT COMES NEXT: Congress is expected to vote on the bill in the next few weeks. At the beginning of the year, our Jaliso Without Cruelty initiative passed, making cruelty to farmed animals a crime punishable by up to 4 years in prison. We hope to instill similar protections for those in backyard slaughterhouses in Mexico City.
WHAT YOU CAN DO: If you want to prevent animal suffering, the best thing you can do is to switch to a plant-based diet! For tips on getting started, visit loveveg.com.
