Help expose and stop the cruel use of gas chambers.
It’s been an industry secret until now…
An investigation into Smithfield Foods’ largest West Coast slaughterhouse reveals for the first time what happens inside their carbon dioxide gas chambers.
Cruel by design.
Once trapped inside, Smithfield Foods drowns animals in a suffocating pool of CO2 gas.
“Exposure to CO2 at high concentrations is considered a serious welfare concern because it is highly aversive and causes pain, fear, and respiratory distress.“
June 17, 2020 - EU Food Safety Authority
Smithfield’s gas chambers use 90% CO2 gas.
“CO2 causes pain and distress even at low concentrations (humans describe the effects of CO2 exposure as ‘excruciating’).”
— Humane Society of the United States
This is criminal.
Pigs scream, gasp for air, and thrash violently while trying to escape as they are slowly asphyxiated in Smithfield Foods’ gas chambers.
U.S. federal law prohibits carbon dioxide gas unless it accomplishes “anesthesia quickly and calmly, with a minimum of excitement and discomfort.”
At Smithfield Foods’, the USDA ignores the torture of animals while they’re hidden inside the gas chambers.
Individuals are concealed for up to 4 minutes while they are violently suffocated.
Inspectors have no way to know how long pigs are made to suffer, unless they emerge conscious:
The USDA isn’t doing its job.
"On Friday June 3, 2022, I was performing the humane handling task, stunning effectiveness, and noted the following. The CO2 stunner that is closest to the rail failed to stun 5 pigs (out of 8 total) that were dropped out of the machine's basket. The pigs were alert and breathing.."- USDA Inspector at Smithfield Foods
