Images reveal the conditions endured by breeding sows, confined in small cages, and the mutilations undergone by their piglets – without anesthesia or painkillers – such as tail docking and surgical castration. These are very painful and, in the case of systematic tail docking, even illegal operations; but they are still practiced on 98% of all pigs bred on Italian farms.

The investigation was carried out by the organization’s investigative team at more than 20 pig farms located in Northern and Central Italy, with the support of undercover activists using hidden cameras. Videos shows the consequences of such cruel and systematic routines for the animals, bred in such conditions in almost all Italian breeding farms, including those producing world-renowned Parma ham.

Italy is facing a structural problem which concerns the entire food industry and is the cause of unjustified suffering for sensitive and intelligent animals. With this investigation Essere Animali are launching the campaign #SOSpig to call on large scale supermarkets to take a stand to end these horrible practices.

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