More controls are needed on farms and slaughterhouses to protect animals

Even though animal protection has recently been recognized in the Constitution, the well-being of animals involved in the food chain has not increased.

• In June 2021, Animal Equality released an investigation that showed shocking and repeated violence against pigs inside the Zema slaughterhouse, in the province of Cremona.
• Although the crime against animals contested by Animal Equality was ascertained by the Cremona Prosecutor's Office, the complaints relating to the inadequacy of the structure were instead rejected.
• The penalties provided for in Italy for the type of crimes alleged against Zema S.r.l.have once again proven to be inadequate.

How much is it worth violence against animals for Italian law?Still too little.In fact, the prosecutor's offices often ask to dismiss the reports without further checks and the too low penalties still make it too easy to declassify the crimes.Through the investigative work of the investigative team, Animal Equality However, he obtained significant legal recognition with the trial of the owner of a slaughterhouse in the Cremona area, reported for animal cruelty.

Animal welfare on farms has not increased

If animal protection has recently been recognized in Constitution, controls on farms and standards relating to the welfare of animals involved in the food supply chain have not increased.The trial against the slaughter plant Zema S.r.l., which arose thanks to the complaints filed with the Prosecutor's Office by Animal Equality, is an example of the need to guarantee more effective forms of monitoring within slaughterhouses and more severe penalties for those who do not respect the law.

In June 2021, Animal Equality released an investigation that showed shocking and repeated violence against pigs inside the Zema slaughterhouse, a company in the province of Cremona that has been involved in the slaughter and processing of pork since 1987, as well as one of the many companies that pride themselves on representing Made in Italy both in Italy and abroad.In the video released by the organization at the time, workers and owners can be seen mistreating pigs destined for slaughter without any respect for them minimum standards of animal welfare, with acts of truly useless cruelty.

In particular, the images collected by Animal Equality - on the basis of which the Cremona Public Prosecutor's Office called the owner of the slaughterhouse to court - show an operator hooking the ears of pigs that were not correctly subjected to the stunning process, as well as others pigs in the factory;an operator hits a piglet on the head with a shovel, grabs its hind legs and slams its head against the wall until it is immobilized;an operator who hits the pigs with sticks during the unloading phase inside the slaughterhouse.The injured pigs are left without treatment and the dead ones are abandoned among those still alive.

The trial against Zema S.r.l.

Following the complaint by Animal Equality Italia against the plant, the Cremona Prosecutor's Office sent the owner of the slaughterhouse to trial for mistreatment of animals and, at his request, the judge of the Court of Cremona allowed him to be put on probation, or the possibility of suspending the criminal proceedings in exchange for the carrying out of public utility work and compensation for damages.

In relation to this last point, Animal Equality Italia ed Being Animals – who were both civil parties in the trial – received from Zema S.r.l.a pecuniary compensation, which the associations have decided to donate to support organizations that offer shelter and protection to animals rescued from intensive farming and slaughterhouses.

Furthermore, following the complaints and the publication of the investigation, the political institutions finally decided to act:the head of the PD delegation in the Agriculture commission Mattia Piloni and representatives of the 5 Star Movement in the Lombardy Region presented a question to the Lombardy council to ask for clarity on the images collected by Animal Equality.

Penalties remain inadequate

Although the crime against animals contested by Animal Equality was ascertained by the Cremona Prosecutor's Office, the complaints relating to the inadequacy of the structure were instead rejected.The penalties provided for in Italy for the type of crimes alleged against Zema S.r.l.they also proved once again inadequate.

Yet, to make the prosecution of these crimes more efficient, a solution already introduced in several countries such as Germany and the Netherlands could consist in the installation of so-called smart cameras, CCTV cameras with artificial intelligence capable of identifying violations of animal welfare regulations.Another path that is more respectful of animal welfare is possible, the tools to guarantee it exist, so why not adopt them?