Inside farms
and slaughterhouses
Previously unpublished footage obtained by Essere Animali’s team of investigators during the investigation work carried out in 2019
Over 60 facilities, including farms and slaughterhouses, were monitored in the past year. Footage was recorded at night, during the day or undercover, to film the conditions of the animals.
This is the reality, harsh and without filters, documented by our investigative team during the daily checks that were carried out, even with journalists in tow. Checks that take place on a random basis or after reports and that, in many cases, lead us to take legal action, as we frequently document crimes of animal abuse.
But even when our cameras record standard intensive farming practices, a system that covers 97% of Italian meat, dairy and egg production, the conditions of the animals are distressing.
We know that these images are disturbing and that it is uncomfortable even to talk about them. But there’s an alternative to all of this. Leave animals off your plate!
What we documented
ABUSE
Animals thrown, beaten, left to die in agony, killed using cruel methods or slaughtered while still conscious. The frequency of illegal practices documented by our investigators is disconcerting. We promptly report those responsible to the authorities, but there is still an underlying systemic problem that is rooted in the intensive farming methods used. These are cruel to animals and capable of desensitising those who work in these places.
It’s not a safe place, we have to do everything in a hurry. It was the first time I came across these gorgeous baby animals, so curious that they reach out to us with their noses and seek contact.
Davide our investigator
Graphic images Click to watch
VIOLENT PRACTICES
Some of the procedures that are permitted by law cause undisputed suffering. Animals can be mutilated without anaesthesia or crammed into overcrowded sheds, without the possibility of ever seeing grass or sunlight. Intensive farming, created with the sole aim of optimising production, involves working conditions and methods that do not take animal welfare into account in any way.
An infinite expanse of tiny cages, with the rabbits’ fur creating a single white patch. Incessant noises of the wire mesh, heaps of excrement.
Ambra our investigator
IMPRISONED IN CAGES
Many animals are still kept in cages in conditions that cause profound mental and physical discomfort, as they severely limit their possibility of movement and prevent them from exhibiting their natural behaviours. Locking an animal in a cage is tantamount to hurting it. There is no excuse, cages should be banned.
I couldn’t believe they threw animals like that. Their hearts have turned to stone, they no longer realise that they are hurting someone.
Andrea our investigator
THE FIGURES IN ITALY
Although the numbers are still very high, there are positive signs. For example, thanks to our efforts to raise awareness, the numbers of rabbits, cows and pigs raised have been steadily decreasing in recent years.
Sources: Istat 2019 - BDN zootecnica 2019 - CLAL 2019 - Ismea 2018
Sources: Istat 2019 - BDN zootecnica 2019 - CLAL 2019 - Ismea 2018
HELP US TO SHOW THE WORLD THIS TRUTH!
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.