Animal Equality investigates pig slaughterhouse in Northern Italy

These
pigs
are
waiting for
their turn.
Their
turn to suffer.
Between
and
2024,
the Animal Equality
team
documented
what was happening
at the Belli farm
slaughterhouse
in the province
of Cremona, where
thousands of pigs
are slaughtered
each year.
Despite the fact that
Italian law
prohibits
the cruel handling
and killing
of animals
in slaughterhouses,
this law
is systematically
violated.
The operators work
carelessly.
Pigs are stunned
but remain conscious
and feel
pain
while their
throats are cut.
There are several
pieces of evidence,
as explained to us
by
Dr. Enrico
Moriconi,
a veterinarian
and former
Guarantor
for
Animal
Rights in
the Piedmont
There are signs
of consciousness, indicating that
the stunning
did not
fully
disrupt
the animals'
awareness.
The signs of consciousness
in pigs are:
straightening
of the head,
eye movement,
heavy
breathing
and attempts
to stand up,
along with leg
movements,
especially
in the hind legs.
In the footage
recorded by
Animal Equality, the issues
are clearly visible
regarding the
slaughter process
when
the procedures
are not
carried out correctly.
This is the case
of an operator who,
when confronted
with the convulsive
but very intense
movement
of the pig,
pressed its
head
against the
edge of the conveyor belt.
This
demonstrates that
the operator
was fully aware
that the
animal was suffering.
Instead of
carrying out
a
second
application
of the electrode,
the worker
preferred to wait for
the animal
to die while still
continuing to suffer.
According to the
Animal Welfare Act,
causing pain, distress,
or suffering
form the
basis for
criminal charges
of
“cruel
treatment.”
For this reason,
with the help
of criminal lawyer
Glauco
Gasperini,
we filed a complaint.
Animal
Equality
has instructed me
to file
a lawsuit
against
the Belli
company.
An investigation has revealed
that within
this slaughterhouse,
they proceeded
with practices
that were carried out
in ways
completely
illegal that
caused
immense suffering
for the animals.
The request
that Animal Equality is making
to the Public Prosecutor's Office
is to bring justice,
identify those responsible,
and ensure that
this trial serves as an example
for other cases,
so that
these unspeakable sufferings
are not repeated.
Indeed,
it seems
that in slaughterhouses,
the lives of
animals have no
value.
This is evidenced by the continuous
and repeated
cruelties
that we have
documented
in this slaughterhouse,
where several
pigs
are forced
to witness
the killing of
their companions,
a situation
that causes them
anxiety
and stress.
Some are
killed on the
floor,
some pigs are
left to agonize
for minutes
or are
pushed together
into
stunning
cages.
Unfortunately, these
are not exceptions.
Our complaint
against the Belli
slaughterhouse
is just a
small
piece in
a larger battle,
and we
need you.
In addition to
choosing to
leave
this
suffering off
your plate,
you can help us
by signing our petition
to End Factory Farming,
through which
we are asking
for greater
penalties
for those who
treat
animals cruelly in
slaughterhouses.
A cruel
killing
is cruel,
no matter
the individual
it is carried out on.
The law
cannot
stop being
enforced
just because
these crimes
take place
behind
the closed
doors of
slaughterhouses.