Investigation: Brazil’s Secret Slaughterhouses
In an effort to combat further deregulation of Brazil’s meat industry, Animal Equality is exposing what happens inside clandestine, or ‘backyard,’ slaughterhouses.
Inside these illegal facilities, investigators found extreme animal abuse at the time of slaughter and unsanitary conditions that pose a public health risk.
The images from this investigation give a glimpse into a future where slaughterhouses are left to regulate themselves under Brazil’s Self-Control Bill. This harmful bill will allow the very industry that causes so much animal suffering to regulate itself, putting nearly 7 billion of Brazil’s farmed animals will be at an even greater risk of cruelty.
➡ Discover more about the investigation findings: https://animalequality.org/news/secret-slaughterhouses-of-brazil
The best way to protect animals is to get them off our plates. Those who consume animal products end up financing crimes such as illegal slaughter. Choose a cruelty-free diet. Discover delicious, animal-free recipes and tips to start your vegan journey at LoveVeg.com.
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Transcript (English — en-US)
Do you know what a
clandestine slaughterhouse is?
Animal Equality’s investigators in Brazil recently
went undercover
inside of one to show you what they are.
The activities inside these backyard
slaughterhouses are illegal and unregulated.
They don't even comply with minimum food safety
and animal welfare standards.
As the largest exporter of meat in the world
Brazil's lack of sanitary and welfare
standards is a global issue.
The U.S. alone imported Brazilian meat
from over 850,000 cows last year.
Consuming this meat raises
serious public health concerns.
The unsanitary conditions are
a breeding ground for bacteria
and contamination
by chemical products and toxic substances.
But the ones who suffer the most are the animals.
At slaughter, the cows can see others being killed
right in front of them.
They desperately try to escape,
but are unsuccessful.
Workers use sledgehammers to stun animals.
Some animals die from the blows to their heads,
while others are left to suffer
while their throats are slit.
Nearly half of the meat produced in Brazil
comes from animals
who died inside places like this one.
But unregulated slaughterhouses
continue to be a global concern,
including here in the U.S.
After a 2020 change in USDA regulations,
slaughterhouses increased their production
by killing animals quicker.
At pig and chicken slaughterhouses,
cruelty increased as line speeds increased.
Workers slam chickens into shackles,
breaking their bones.
Animals are improperly stunned by workers
required to work faster.
As a result, many birds are scalded alive
while pigs have their throats slit while conscious.
Brazil is also working to
reduce government oversight,
reducing even more the number of inspectors
to favor slaughterhouse owners.
The same industry causing so much pain
and suffering to animals
will be left to oversee itself.
These images from inside
clandestine slaughterhouses
give a glimpse into the future
under the self-control bill.
More than 7 billion
farmed animals in Brazil
will be forced to endure similar cruelty
and unsanitary conditions.
Animal Equality is taking legal action in Brazil
and the United States to combat
these lacking slaughterhouse regulations.
Don't support these crimes
by giving your money to the meat industry.
This abuse can only be stopped
if there is no consumption.
The animals need you.
Let's act now. Let's take animals off our plates.