Animal cruelty investigators from Farm Transparency Project have released shocking new images and footage from Dublin Piggery in South Australia. The footage, which was captured across two dates in June this year, shows pigs living alongside the decomposing bodies of hundreds of dead pigs, with some becoming stuck in a giant pile of corpses. The footage was captured one month after a member of the public reported the farm to the RSPCA. 

Other footage from the same facility shows pigs in 'eco sheds' on the property, which are sheds with two or three walls, with at least one side open to the elements. The pigs in these sheds are seen wading through mud and waste, which is often so deep that they are forced to swim. Pigs were observed to have drowned in these sheds, likely after becoming stuck. 

In other sheds, pigs were filmed with massive, necrotic wounds where infection had eaten through skin down to the bone. One pig had a hole in their back that was roughly 10cm in diameter and packed with straw, mud and faeces. Piglets were also found living amongst the dead and rotting bodies of their littermates.

Farm Transparency Project's Executive Director, Chris Delforce, said that they became aware of conditions after civilian investigators operating on information provided anonymously, sent them footage from a visit on June 14th. He said that the footage, which showed hundreds of decomposing corpses was some of the worst they had ever seen and that his team immediately planned to visit themselves to verify the conditions. 

"The horrific level of neglect revealed at this piggery is the inevitable outcome of an industry that cares only about profit and is left to set its own rules. Once again, it has taken a member of the public to uncover shocking animal cruelty, and volunteer investigators to bring it to light and demand justice for these animals. This is indicative of a public that has zero faith in authorities to protect animals, a perception which this government has earned through years of gutless inaction." 

Delforce says that the facility has been reported to the RSPCA and the South Australian Minister for Climate, Environment and Water, Susan Close, but that his organisation had little faith in authorities to take action.

"On too many occasions, animal abusers have walked away from the suffering they have caused without consequences. In 2023, we reported Snowtown slaughterhouse where sheep and goats were being killed illegally while fully conscious. Despite hours of video evidence, the authorities laid no charges and slaughterhouse remains operating to this day. It is our understanding that this very piggery was reported to the RSPCA over a month ago, yet when our team visited in June the suffering of the pigs was like nothing we could have imagined."

This piggery must be closed immediately, charges laid against its owners and these must pigs be released into the care of an animal sanctuary to receive urgent medical treatment and rehabiliation. But that is just the bare minimum. If the government really want to fix the animal welfare issues that are rife across this country, they'll have to grow the spine to stand up to the lobby groups of animal slaughter industries, who currently operate with minimal oversight or regulation. Until that day, we'll continue to do the government's work for them by making consumers aware exactly what they are supporting when they buy products from animals farmed and killed in Australia."

Footage: https://vimeo.com/1096120967/c6d564acec?share=copy
Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/gdr6q0i4rsrbvgmytmj93/AFr2bBwXXWrR_Jwr0ajWQto?rlkey=knid31hj8du5jtgu6ocw6h2k7&dl=0
Campaign: https://www.farmtransparency.org/campaigns/andgar-piggery-dublin-sa