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Investigation

Whistleblower images reveal the horrific daily life of pigs raised in Quebec

Published by the BESA team

May 1st, 2024

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Far from the idyllic images seen in advertisements and on packaging, these pictures once again show that the law does not sufficiently protect farm animals in Quebec.

These images, captured by whistleblowers and shared with BESA, were taken at a pig farm in Quebec’s Montérégie region. They show unspeakable horrors, all symptoms of a system that treats animals like objects:

  • Mothers confined in cages so narrow they can’t even turn around

  • Many piglets suffering, sick, injured, or dead beside them

  • Piglets isolated and left to fend for themselves

  • Castrations without anesthesia or pain relief, sometimes botched and “fixed” with adhesive tape

  • Piglets’ tails cut off without anesthesia or pain relief to prevent them from biting them out of boredom

Help us to help them !

Even today, not all animals in Quebec are sufficiently protected by law. Currently, their rights do not depend on their sensitivity or intelligence, but on their exploitation by various industries.

 

Sign the petition to recognize their rights!

I will sign for the animals

See the images

The industry has defended itself in the past by saying that these kinds of conditions are “not accepted by the industry.” But these images are similar to two other investigations into Quebec pig farms broadcasted in 2019 and in 2023. Meanwhile, Quebec’s pork industry is delaying the abandonment of cages in maternity units and is not questioning large-scale farms. Quebec’s law also remains very unclear on what is legal or not to apply to farm animals (see our petition on the subject).

Locked in cages

Mother pigs are constantly locked in cages so small they can't even turn around.

Wounded mothers

Sows frequently show wounds, sometimes infected. They'll be sent to the slaughterhouse quickly, whatever happens.

Agonizing little pigs

Piglets spend the early part of their lives with their mothers, in cages above a swamp of excrements.

Failed castrations

The piglets are castrated without anesthetic or analgesia. Sometimes, the operation is poorly done: tape is used to keep their organs inside their bodies.

More and more animals

To meet demand, farms are expanding. They are now huge sheds filled with animals. Who has time to take care of all of them ?

To the slaughterhouse

The final fate of all these animals after such a terrifying life: a long, arduous truck journey to the slaughterhouse.

You want to do more for them ?

Whether it’s by reducing your consumption of animal products, or by using your passion and talents to defend their rights, there are many ways to help animals in Quebec.

 

Discover the best ways to act simply, and at your own pace, for animals!

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