The prefect of Marne announced Thursday, October 5, that he had ordered an inspection in a pig farm in the department, against which the animal rights association L214 filed a complaint “for serious abuse and mistreatment of animals.” This inspection aims to “verify the operating conditions provided for by the regulations in force for this type of breeding”, specified the prefecture in a press release to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
“In the event of non-compliance, administrative and/or criminal action will be taken,” added the prefecture. According to L214, the breeding in question depends on the Cirhyo cooperative and would supply meat for the Herta brand. Contacted by AFP, the breeder did not wish to react.
“Unbearable” images
The complaint filed by L214 targets a GAEC (agricultural group operating in common), raising pigs in Corbeil, in the Marne, of which it points out practices which it claims are prohibited or contravene the regulations. Images provided by the association show routine tail docking and live castration of piglets. “The complaint targets the company, the manager and the veterinary practice which monitors the breeding,” said L214’s lawyer, Carole Lanty, who emphasizes that it was also filed for “breaches of the rules for the management of corpses and rendering”.
According to these images, filmed according to L214 between May and September 2023, piglets would be killed there after being “slammed” against a concrete floor. The video also shows the remains of piglets crushed by their mothers, corpses intended for rendering colonized by maggots. “Seeing these piglets having their skulls smashed against the concrete floor is unbearable,” said Sébastien Arsac, spokesperson for the association in a press release.
According to the Marne prefecture, “nearly 13,000 animal welfare checks were carried out in 2022” by the State, “resulting in 230 reports and 1,440 formal notices”.