In some Italian farms hundreds of pigs have been killed with gas

Killed with CO2 gas, which causes irritation of the respiratory tract, causing enormous stress and atrocious suffering, and then being loaded en masse onto trucks for disposal.This is the fate that has befallen him in recent days hundreds of pigs in six farms in Northern Italy, within which swine fever is rapidly spreading - a disease not dangerous for humans, but highly lethal for pigs - and which is putting a total of 15 thousand animals at risk in various regions of the country.These cruelties were documented by the investigative team of theessere animali association, which published the images referring to the killings of pigs in three of the six farms affected by the virus, located in the provinces of Pavia and Novara, pointing the finger at the poor management of the emergency by institutions and trade associations.

In detail, the videos created by the activists ofessereanimali, shot using a drone, show the bodies of pigs knocked down by gas, which is highly irritating to the respiratory tract and causes considerable stress and prolonged suffering to animals if not used correctly.In the videos, the farm operators are also seen carrying crates containing live piglets destined for slaughter with the same gas, as well as andspecimens removed with forceps equipped with electrodes, commonly used in slaughterhouses to stun pigs by electronarcosis.To ensure irreversible stunning, forceps are applied first to the head and then to the heart, but they are often not effective.The images also reveal a worker physically entering the container where the corpses of many pigs lie to permanently eliminate a large dying pig, probably due to the unreliability of using forceps compared to three-electrode systems.«It is essential to disseminate images showing these mass slaughters of pigs in Italy, to understand what the consequences are for the animals given all the shortcomings of the health authorities and our institutions», he said. written in a press release Being Animals.Already last September, the association had documented the slaughter of thousands of pigs inside a factory in the province of Pavia where an outbreak of African swine fever had been recorded, officially present in Italy since January 2022.Even in that circumstance, the investigative team had certificate cruel killing methods by the operators, recording mistreatment of the animals during access to the containers and slaughtering of pigs which took place too slowly, in around 25 minutes (with the probable adoption of non-optimal parameters to guarantee the rapid saturation of the air with CO2).

A few days ago, the Ministry of Health communicated in a Note – addressed, among others, to the Departments of Health Veterinary Services and the Regional Coordination of Regional Veterinary Services – which, starting from 26 July, have been confirmed six outbreaks of African swine fever on as many farms in Lombardy (in the provinces of Milan and Pavia), in Piedmont (in the province of Novara) and in Emilia Romagna (in the province of Piacenza).The ministry announced that an information note to the territory is being drawn up to strengthen the control system through the provision of a series of extraordinary measures, in order to avoid the further spread of the disease and with a view to adopting control measures. uniform contrast across the territory".The association Ère Animali itself denounced the poor management of the emergency:«After a year and more of work under the leadership of former Commissioner Vincenzo Caputo – who resigned just a few days ago close to the first new outbreak – and the investment of huge public resources, the national containment plan has essentially failed», the activists wrote on their official page, highlighting «the huge public spending» invested «with the money of Italian taxpayers».In fact, the association recalled, «only the Emilia-Romagna Region has allocated 5 million euros at the end of 2023 to prevent ASF infection, while the Lombardy Region has dedicated specific calls to support pig farming for a total of 4.7 million euros."Being Animals highlights that similar choices were also undertaken by the Piedmont Region and that Commissioner Caputo himself had a spending capacity of "up to 10 million euros".Money which, concludes Being Animals, have been "wasted" or "unused" in light of the "very poor results obtained".

Cover photo credits:@Being Animals