No respect
for sheep and lambs
An Essere Animali investigator worked undercover at Italy's largest intensive sheep farm for milk production.
On this farm, 5000 animals are imprisoned in concrete sheds without ever having access to pasture. The sheep are reared for milk, which is mainly used to produce cheese. They are brutally treated and subjected to continuous pregnancies and milking, a cycle that weakens them and condemns them to the slaughterhouse at a very young age. The same fate awaits male lambs, killed after just 30 days for their flesh.
WHAT WE DOCUMENTED
VIOLENCE BY WORKERS
When they are being moved and during milking and medical treatment, sheep are kicked, pulled around and hit with iron bars if they offer the least resistance. To catch a ram, a worker will ride it for several metres.
MILK MACHINES
Throughout their lives, sheep are milked twice a day for 8 months a year. These unnatural production rates demand young and high-performing animals. As a result, sheep are sent for slaughter when they are only 5-7 years old, although they can reach the age of 12.
NO ACCESS TO PASTURE
Intensive farming methods produce more milk but dramatically worsen conditions for the animals. In this indoor system, sheep never get to graze and are fed on high-performance feed.
LAMBS: DESTINED FOR SLAUGHTER
Like all mammals, sheep produce milk after giving birth to feed their young. But on farms, all milk is destined for human consumption: newborn lambs are removed from their mothers immediately after birth and fed with industrial feed. Males are slaughtered for meat at the age of just 30 days, while females are reared for milk production.
The Essere Animali investigation team has filmed the slaughter of lambs on several occasions. Watch the investigation we broadcast on Tg1.
The first thing the boss said to me was: «Milk them well and fast, but not too fast because otherwise they get sick and need antibiotics: that wastes time and money and if their level of production is no longer cheap, they won’t be of any use to me. They’ll have to go to the slaughterhouse. I don’t have time or money to throw away. Don’t forget that.»
Davide our investigator
HOW TO REPLACE MILK AND DAIRY PRODUCTS
Oat milk
Rice milk
Soy milk
Plant-based cheese
Vegan ice-cream
Almond milk
Margarine
Vegan cream
Vegan whipped cream
Plant-based yogurt
HELP US TO SHOW THE WORLD WHAT’S REALLY GOING ON!
Thanks to our team of investigators, millions of people are discovering the reality of abuse and cruelty in farms and slaughterhouses. Our work saves animals and needs your support.