Every year, billions of farm animals suffer in factory farms and slaughterhouses under horrific conditions. They endure extreme confinement, brutal handling, and painful slaughter methods—all for the sake of profit. These animals feel fear and pain just like we do, yet they are treated as mere products rather than living beings. It’s time to hold the industry accountable.

 

Some of the worst abuses include:

 • Gas chambers for pigs – Pigs are herded into carbon dioxide (CO₂) gas chambers, where they thrash and scream in pain as they suffocate. Scientific studies confirm that CO₂ exposure causes severe burning sensations and panic before they lose consciousness.

 • Live maceration of male chicks – In the egg industry, male chicks are considered useless and are shredded alive in industrial grinders. Over 7 billion chicks are killed this way every year.

 • Boiling animals alive – Chickens and turkeys often miss the stunning process and are fully conscious when they enter scalding tanks, where they are boiled alive to remove feathers.

 • Cows and pigs improperly stunned – In many slaughterhouses, stunning methods fail, leaving animals awake and struggling as their throats are slit. Some cows remain conscious for minutes while bleeding out.

 • Conscious castration – Male piglets and calves are often castrated without anesthesia, causing extreme pain and distress. Many suffer infections and long-term complications.

 • Beating and neglect – Investigations have documented farm workers kicking, punching, and throwing animals. Sick and injured animals are often left to suffer without veterinary care.

 • Extreme confinement – Most factory-farmed animals spend their entire lives in cages or crates so small they can’t even turn around. Mother pigs are kept in metal cages where they can’t move for months at a time.

 • Forced rapid growth – Chickens are genetically manipulated to grow unnaturally fast, often becoming too heavy to walk properly. Many suffer from heart failure and broken bones due to their oversized bodies.

 • Live fish slaughter without stunning – Billions of fish are killed each year by suffocation, freezing, or being gutted alive, despite research showing they experience pain.

 

We Demand Immediate Action:

 1. Ban CO₂ gas chambers for pigs, replacing them with more humane stunning methods.

 2. End live maceration of male chicks by mandating in-ovo sexing technology.

 3. Prohibit boiling chickens and turkeys alive, enforcing proper stunning before slaughter.

 4. Mandate effective stunning for all animals to prevent conscious slaughter.

 5. Ban castration without anesthesia, ensuring pain relief for piglets and calves.

 6. Outlaw extreme confinement practices such as battery cages and gestation crates.

 7. Require veterinary care for sick and injured animals to prevent prolonged suffering.

 8. Ban genetic manipulation for unnaturally fast growth, prioritizing animal health.

 9. Regulate fish slaughter by requiring stunning before death.

 10. Increase transparency in factory farms and slaughterhouses, requiring independent inspections and publicly available reports.

 11. Support ethical and sustainable farming practices that prioritize animal welfare.

 

This level of cruelty is unacceptable. No living being deserves to be tortured for the sake of efficiency and profit. The food industry must be reformed, and governments must take responsibility for ending these inhumane practices.