Pigs Severely Injured, Killed en Route to St. Joseph Slaughterhouse; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
July 30, 2024
Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382
A just-released U.S. Department of Agriculture report reveals that—in a single day—approximately 100 pigs died directly or were killed by workers due to “suspected frost bite” and other injuries sustained after being trucked up to eight hours through windchills as low as minus 40 degrees to the Triumph Foods LLC slaughterhouse in St. Joseph. In response, PETA sent a letter this morning to Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney Michelle Davidson urging her to investigate the incident and file criminal charges against those responsible.
According to the report, on January 16 an anonymous complaint noted that numerous pigs were “frozen or morbidly injured during transport … in … subzero temperatures” the previous day. A government veterinarian found that at least six pigs had died on trucks and approximately 94 others were killed upon arrival at the slaughterhouse due to their injuries. The report states that the frostbitten pigs were hauled on a truck equipped with only metal slats on the sides, which don’t retain heat during frigid winters—an industry-approved design.
“These pigs likely spent their lives crammed into filthy sheds only to be loaded onto trucks for a terrifying, agonizing journey through such extreme cold that many of them froze and died,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of these pigs and urges everyone to please go vegan to help spare animals a horrific trip to the slaughterhouse.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. The group also offers a free vegan starter kit on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Davidson follows.
Neglect of Animals en Route to 5302 Stockyards Expy.
July 30, 2024
The Honorable Michelle Davidson
Buchanan County Prosecuting Attorney
Dear Ms. Davidson:
I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as you deem appropriate) investigate and file suitable criminal charges against those responsible for causing approximately 100 pigs to suffer and die on a single bitterly cold day while they were en route to and at Triumph Foods LLC, located at 5302 Stockyards Expy. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incidents in the attached report, which the agency just made available to the public.
According to the report, on January 16, 2024, FSIS received an anonymous complaint regarding pigs who were “frozen or morbidly injured during transport … in … subzero temperatures.” A government veterinarian found that a day earlier, 29 pigs who had been hauled on a single truck had to be put down on arrival, “primarily for suspected frost bite injuries.” Another 65 pigs hauled on six more trucks also had to be killed on arrival. Approximately six more pigs were found to have died during transport. FSIS’ report notes that all these animals had been trucked up to eight hours through windchills as low as minus 40 degrees that day.
For more details on these incidents, please contact FSIS Office of Field Operations District Manager Jeffery Barham.
This conduct may violate RSMo § 578.009. Importantly, FSIS’ action carries no criminal or civil penalties and does not preempt criminal liability under state law for slaughter industry workers who perpetrate acts of cruelty to animals. Given that the FSIS has not initiated a criminal prosecution for inhumane handling in connection with a licensed slaughterhouse since at least 2007, charges under state law are these victims’ only chance at a measure of justice.
Please let us know what we might do to assist you. Thank you for your consideration and for the difficult work that you do.
Sincerely,
Elise Fisher
Evidence Analyst
Cruelty Investigations Department
PETA
