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USDA Must Require Cameras in Pig CO2 Cages

Dear John,

More than 100 million pigs raised for food in the United States each year are slaughtered using carbon dioxide (CO2) gas. Groups of pigs are forced into metal cages called gondolas, lowered into a CO2 gas chamber for several minutes to be stunned or killed, then dumped on a conveyor belt to be hung and bled out.

Normally, there are no cameras inside the gondolas, so plant workers and inspectors are unable to watch the pigs while they are being gassed. However, early last year, activists released undercover footage ([link removed]) from a camera hidden inside a gondola in a US pork plant. The video showed groups of pigs in the cage squealing and struggling violently for nearly a minute before finally losing consciousness.

The lack of cameras in gondolas violates the Federal Meat Inspection Act and the Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which require USDA inspectors to observe all methods of livestock slaughter to determine whether they are humane. In the event that an inspector witnesses an inhumane situation, they have the authority to intervene. This time last year, AWI and our allies filed a rulemaking petition ([link removed]) asking the USDA to require installation of cameras inside CO2 gondolas. The USDA has not yet responded.

TAKE ACTION ([link removed])

What You Can Do
Please tell the USDA to grant our petition, follow the law, and help inspectors do their job of monitoring the gassing of pigs to determine whether it is humane ([link removed]). Share our alert with family, friends, and coworkers, and encourage them to take action, too. As always, thank you very much for your help!

Sincerely,

Zack Strong
Assistant Director & Senior Attorney
Farmed Animal Program

P.S. Follow us on Facebook ([link removed]), X (formerly Twitter) ([link removed]), and Instagram ([link removed]) for other important animal protection actions and news. Check out the latest edition of the AWI Quarterly ([link removed])!

Photo by Raven Deerbrook

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Animal Welfare Institute
900 Pennsylvania Avenue, SE, Washington, DC 20003
(202) 337-2332 | www.awionline.org ([link removed])

The Animal Welfare Institute is a not-for-profit organization, founded in 1951 and dedicated to reducing animal suffering caused by people. We seek better treatment of animals everywhere: in the laboratory, on the farm, in commerce, at home, and in the wild.

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