She’s ‘broken’. She’s given up.

An investigation by AnimalKIND (formerly known as Animal Liberation Queensland) in 2022 captured rare footage of a pig’s harrowing ordeal while being marched towards a slaughterhouse.

Too unwell to walk, the poor animal was poked, prodded, hit and even when it was clear she simply could not get up, she was sprayed with a high-pressure hose. At one point, another pig ran back towards her but was forcibly kicked away. This seemingly small act of concern isn’t surprising to anyone who knows pigs, as they are inherently empathetic animals.

Her ordeal lasted for over an hour and ultimately, she was killed right where she laid.

At the time, the incident became the subject of a cruelty investigation that resulted in animal cruelty charges. But in November 2024 – more than two years after the footage was captured – those charges were quietly withdrawn by Biosecurity Queensland, without explanation, and dismissed in Kingaroy Magistrates Court.

The dismissal leaves serious and troubling questions unanswered about oversight, accountability, enforcement and transparency within Australia’s animal welfare system, particularly when it comes to slaughterhouse facilities.

But what this pig endured reflects so much more than an act of human cruelty or neglect. It’s a symptom of a much bigger problem…

What happens inside slaughterhouses every day usually stays hidden. It’s hard to imagine, let alone look at. No matter the farming system they came from, the final moments of an animal killed for food is the same: they will experience fear and terror.

This is especially the case for pigs. The ‘best’ method Australia’s pig industry has come up with to manage pigs in slaughterhouses involves suffocation prior to slaughter. It’s as painful and distressing as it sounds. But treating pigs this way is legal and routine.

It says a lot about standard slaughter practices in Australia that despite all she endured, the poor animal at the heart of this story may have experienced even worse suffering had she made it through the slaughterhouse doors.

Australia’s slaughter systems are not set up to allow for the care of one, individual animal. They’re built to facilitate the handling and killing of thousands of animals a day — as ‘efficiently’ as possible — all to meet consumer demand for meat products.

And animals are not the only victims, with a compelling body of research revealing the physical and emotional toll on the slaughterhouse workers themselves.

Humans innately care about animals and do not want to see them harmed. Perhaps this is why we instinctively turn away when passing a truck filled with farmed animals — we know where they are going and can’t allow ourselves to think too deeply about it.

For many people, eating animals was an inherited, rather than an informed and conscious choice. And the more they learn about our food system — and the suffering of animals within it — the more they are making food choices that better align with their values.

We’re a naturally compassionate species. And every trip to the supermarket — in fact, every meal — is a chance to embody compassion in action.

If you’re curious to explore more about plant-based eating, and want to help spare countless other sensitive pigs from enduring a lonely last walk, then please download our free Veg Starter Guide today. Change begins with you.