Feds Slap Roswell Slaughterhouse With Suspension After Pig Electrocuted, Repeatedly Shot
For Immediate Release:
August 16, 2023
Contact:
Brittney Williams 202-483-7382
Federal records just obtained by PETA reveal that a pig remained conscious and crying out after being electrocuted and repeatedly shot in the head at USA Beef Packing. On July 22, a worker attempted to stun the pig, burning her nose but failing to render her unconscious. Two workers then shot her twice with a captive-bolt gun—missing her a third time—before finally stunning the screaming animal on the fourth shot. As a result, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service temporarily suspended inspection of the facility—effectively shutting down operations—citing what it called an “egregious inhumane handling event.”
In response, PETA has sent a letter to the facility’s owner, Jose Alberto Madrid, calling on him to livestream video footage from the slaughterhouse to help prevent additional violations of the law. The organization also asked Madrid to report the employees involved in the incident to local law-enforcement officials for possible violations of the state’s anti-cruelty statute and to reassign them to positions that don’t involve contact with live animals.
“This pig endured agonizing electrocution and multiple shots to the head before these inept workers were finally able to end her suffering,” says PETA Vice President of Evidence Analysis Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling on this facility to livestream its slaughter operations publicly and reminds everyone that we can all help stop this suffering simply by eating vegan.”
PETA points out that every person who goes vegan saves the lives of nearly 200 animals a year; reduces their risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, and cancer; and dramatically shrinks their carbon footprint.
PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview, and offers a free vegan starter kit on its website. For more information, please visit PETA.org, listen to The PETA Podcast, or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.
