The Animal Welfare Observatory, a Spanish NGO, has filed a complaint against a pig farm in Burgos, located in the town of Quintanilla del Coco. Based on the Criminal Procedure Law, the Animal Welfare Observatory has filed a complaint for possible crimes of animal abuse with aggravating circumstances of death, other crimes of animal abuse by omission and a continuing crime related to the market and consumers.
The complaint has already been formalized by the NGO in the Lerma court against those responsible and operators of this pig farm in Quintanilla del Coco for alleged crimes of animal abuse with aggravating circumstances of death, as well as the modality of action by omission. The NGO demands “the closure of the farm and an exemplary sentence for the poor management of the animals.” What’s more, the NGO assures that “these are some of the worst cases of animal abuse revealed to date in Spain.”
In the images and videos that the Animal Welfare Observatory has of what it claims is this farm in Quintanilla del Coco, decomposing pigs, malformations, worms and rats appear. “The animals have serious hernias, leg deformities and wounds compatible with cannibalism,” the NGO says, adding that “this is one of the worst cases of animal abuse revealed to date in Spain. “We put the images in the hands of justice.”
The owner denies the accusations
Animal Welfare Observatory also asks the court to dismiss the mayor, since, according to their investigations, he is the owner of the pig farm. Domingo del Pozo, mayor of Quintanilla del Coco and owner of the farm, has learned of the accusations through unofficial means, “I have nothing here yet, nothing has reached me,” he said when asked about the complaint.
Del Pozo denies the NGO’s accusations of animal abuse and neglect of the facilities, “what is going to be like this, what is going to be like this,” he repeats. And he wonders how they got the images and videos of the farm. He explains that “on pig farms there are always some with hernias, but from there on half the farm…” He also denies the presence of worms, “the pigs clean themselves and when we empty they also clean themselves,” he explains.
The owner points out that he does not have much more to say, “I don’t see the facilities as bad and neither do the Animal Welfare Board. “They have been here not long ago,” he says.
“Cannibalism and abandonment”
The photographic and also video report shows “extremely thin breeding sows, their spine visible. Others have serious uterine collapses and breast tumors. The permanent presence in cages causes wounds with pus and gangrene due to friction with the bars,” the NGO explains.
In the farrowing sow cages, according to the images provided by the Animal Welfare Observatory, “a piglet is seen hooked on the slatted floor. Due to lack of space, the animal is urinated on by the mother and trampled by her siblings. Dozens of piglets are seen dying, others dead, even in an advanced state of decomposition and dismembered. Some have tumors and bleeding wounds. A worker drinks beer and pours some of it on some piglets.
In the province of Burgos, the main sanctions against large pig farms occur due to the poor treatment of waste, by failing to comply with environmental regulations.
In the images and videos, fattening pigs can also be seen, “these suffer inflammation in their legs that prevents them from moving, others suffer from serious hernias. A pig has a huge hernia, weighing about seven kilos, in its abdomen. Another has a large tumor in his right ear. A large number of them have chewed ears and gangrenous lesions on their tails, a symptom of cannibalism,” the NGO explains.
Animal Welfare Observatory adds that the informant who sent them the images and information observed a scene of cannibalism. «Several pigs were eating another one that was still alive. They bit the elbow of his right front leg and it was bleeding. Even the water in the drinking fountain was dyed red,” says the NGO that this informant told them about.
“Rats in the facilities”
According to the information this organization has, a lack of hygiene in the facilities is also reported. «In the hallways you can see dozens of corpses in different states of decomposition. The drinkers often find themselves empty. Rats roam the bodies of caged sows, animal stalls, and feeding hoppers. “The pigs’ feed is full of rat feces.”
They also claim that “two buckets with piglet corpses, remains of placenta and abundant flies” have been observed outdoors. “In addition to finding pieces of legs and dead piglets scattered throughout the enclosure.”
The legislation requires the use of approved airtight containers intended for the containment of dead animals for the collection of carcasses. Animal Welfare Observatory assures that “under the floor of the farm there are slurry infested by larvae and worms.”
The farm office is also pointed out, where it is also stated that there is neglect and lack of cleanliness. «There is a rotten pig’s head, a dead piglet and remains of a spinal column next to beer bottles. At the same time, on top of a desk, there are two ‘Welfair’ certifications,” the NGO emphasizes.
The Welfair seal
Welfair is an independent animal welfare certification that seeks to guarantee the well-being of animals intended for consumption. This seal certifies all animal husbandry models, including cages and fast-growing chickens. Two poultry farms related to a Lidl supermarket supplier, reported in 2022 by the Animal Welfare Observatory, lost their Welfair seal. One of them is being judicially investigated for alleged crimes of animal abuse and public health.
The video report that the association has also includes the moment in which the pigs are loaded onto the truck towards the slaughterhouse. The operator in charge hits them repeatedly with an electric prod. The managers and operators of the farm have been named in the complaint and also the meat company that, allegedly, manages the loading of the animals that, according to the Animal Welfare Observatory, “is a supplier to Lidl.” This company is accused of an alleged crime of misleading advertising regarding its public communications regarding a high level of animal welfare.
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