We can ask to stop the mistreatment of pigs, the request to Be Animals at Lidl

New images at a Lidl supplier's pig farm reveal inadequate conditions and animal abuse.After the chicken case, what will it take to stop the suffering?

Just over a month from diffusion of images which documented terrible mistreatment of chickens in a farm owned by a supplier to the European supermarket chain Lidl, today we wanted to show what happens in the same company that sells to the big brand also pork products.

Yes, because Lidl's animal welfare policies are extremely poor not only for chickens but also for other species.And indeed:the living conditions of the pigs inside this structure are so serious that we decided to file a complaint with the forestry police.

The images are shocking for their crudeness and because the violence is committed not just by operators – a very serious fact in itself and which also indicates a lack of training – but also by the veterinary doctor.The animals they get beaten with a stick and often for no apparent reason, even on very sensitive body parts.One is lifted bodily by the ears to be moved, another is chased and hit with a board which should instead be used to accompany him in the correct direction, an animal that cannot advance comes tormented with an electric prod.All useless and unjustified suffering.

Then there are violations of the European Council Directive 2008/120/EC December 18, 2008 (which establishes the minimum standards for the protection of pigs), such as systematic docking of pigs' tails and theabsence of environmental enrichments adequate so that animals can express their natural behaviors, in particular root, and therefore avoid directing their attention to other animals cannibalizing their tails.

What role can Lidl play to stop this

As a leader in large-scale retail trade, Lidl can have a great influence sthe way the animals in its supply chain are raised.This is because due to its size and the volumes of products it purchases from manufacturers has the ability to intervene directly by adopting specific standards.

For example, supermarkets can agree with suppliers that, in their supply chains, improvement standards are implemented on various aspects:

• breeding conditions (reduced densities, better breeds, environmental enrichments, etc...)
• staff training (which should be mandatory for all operators and not just for the owner of the farm as required by the law)
• control plan (both by the supplier and by third parties;unannounced or short-notice checks instead of checks agreed in advance).

Let's not forget the chickens

These changes can have a huge impact for all species and this applies even more to the chickens, land animals numerically better bred, for which for the past two years, together with other international associations, we have been asking Lidl Italia to join the European chicken commitment, as it has already done in France.But not only:Lidl Germany also published on its website a new policy for chickens aligned with the requests of the ECC, in which it is committed to guaranteeing standards of farm best for the entire own-brand offer of fresh chicken and chicken-based sausages.This demonstrates the feasibility of our requests.

There is no more time to waste:a concrete and immediate commitment is needed from the supermarket giant.And this is why we ask you to help us by signing the petition.