INVESTIGATION: Cruel and Illegal Acts Exposed at Mexican Pig Slaughterhouse

Animal Equality has just uncovered acts of cruelty committed against pigs at the 22nd slaughterhouse investigated in Mexico, this time at the Rastro Municipal Regional in Tizayuca, Hidalgo.

ILLEGAL ANIMAL ABUSE: In total non-compliance with minimum animal welfare standards, the images recorded by the investigators reveal:

– Operators handling the animals with brutality and violence, kicking and beating them with rods
– Pigs weighing more than 200 pounds lifted by one of their limbs while conscious, causing ligament compression and tears
– Animals without prior stunning being lifted and killed
– Alarming hygienic conditions as pigs are kept amidst blood, feces and organs
– Pigs with their throats slit and bled to death while fully conscious, causing extreme panic and suffering
– Pigs still conscious before being thrown into the scalding tank

The handling process before and during slaughter observed in this slaughterhouse undermines animal welfare and goes against the recommendations of the World Organization for Animal Health, as they cause animal suffering (OIE, 2021).

EXPERTS SAY: “The poor management observed is due to the poor design of the slaughterhouse, lack of equipment, and lack of staff training. All these factors threaten animal and operator welfare, with potential negative effects on public health.” – Dr. Giuliana Miguel-Pacheco, Animal Welfare expert

PREVENTABLE SUFFERING: After a life of deprivation and mistreatment on the farms where they are raised, animals arrive at slaughterhouses terrified. Their deaths are not without suffering: when operators do not comply with existing regulations, it is impossible for them to guarantee the minimum welfare standards that reduce their suffering.

These cruel and illegal conditions are not an exception, but common in the industry, as can be seen in this and other Animal Equality investigations.

WHAT WE’RE SAYING: “This is not just one slaughterhouse with bad practices, but an industry rotten to the core. The growing body of evidence we at Animal Equality have uncovered over the years is a damning indictment against this cruel industry.” – Dulce Ramirez, Director of Animal Equality in Mexico

CALLS FOR CHARGES: With the footage compiled by our investigators, we filed three complaints with the proper authorities: the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the Government of Mexico, the State Attorney’s Office for Environmental Protection of the Government of Hidalgo, and the Ministry of Health of the Government of Hidalgo, demanding that the acts of cruelty be sanctioned and eradicated.

HOW YOU CAN HELP: Please share the investigation to help us increase its reach and impact. And please, leave animals off your plate.