CHILLIWACK, B.C.— New undercover video exposes appalling conditions at a pig slaughterhouse in Chilliwack, BC. The footage, leaked to Animal Justice by an anonymous whistleblower, depicts shocking animal cruelty and blatant violations of animal protection laws.
The video was recorded at Johnston’s Meats, a provincially-licensed facility that slaughters around 500 pigs from the Fraser Valley each day. The footage shows improper use of stunning equipment, leaving pigs in agony during the slaughter process, cut open while still alert and conscious.
Dr. Izzy Hirji, a veterinarian who reviewed the video, explained that while muscle spasms are not uncommon after an animal is stunned, many of the pigs showed clear signs of consciousness.
“You see some animals in these videos (who) are blinking in response to touch stimuli or moving in response to touch stimuli, there were other scenarios where the animal was blinking in response to a knife … and if you watch the pattern of that blinking it didn’t match the rest of the body’s rhythmic contractions that were happening from the stunning,” Dr. Hirji said.
Pigs are also seen desperately trying to escape as they witness the horror of the killing process unfolding before their eyes, with one pig hiding under machinery for five minutes before being caught and killed. The hours of whistleblower footage also shows workers abusing pigs, including kicking and prodding them. At one point, an employee cuts off a pig’s ear and throws it at another worker.
The video also reveals the danger the kill floor poses for workers at the slaughterhouse. One employee appears to have been shocked by the stunning machine, and another worker was narrowly missed by a falling pig.
After reviewing the video, Animal Justice filed a legal complaint with the BC SPCA, the B.C. Ministry of Agriculture and Food, and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency, urgently calling for an investigation into the conditions at Johnston’s.
“This is the first time in Canada that pig slaughter has been caught on hidden camera, and it has led to incredibly disturbing revelations,” said lawyer and Animal Justice executive director Camille Labchuk. “Imagine the horror of being slaughtered while fully conscious, being viscerally aware of everything that is happening in these terrifying final moments of your life.”
“Johnston’s makes claims about ‘happy pigs’ but this video evidence gathered by a courageous whistleblower shows that’s hardly the case and exposes the hellish reality behind holiday ham and other pork products.”
View Animal Justice’s expose video here. There is a warning within the video before a sequence of graphic images appear. Unedited clips of undercover footage can be provided upon request.
Contact:
Josh Lynn
Public Relations Manager
[email protected]
Camille Labchuk
Executive Director
[email protected]
