Our Supreme Court case to protect pigs like her.

In 2023, Animals Australia filed proceedings in the Supreme Court of Victoria to challenge the legality of suffocating pigs inside gas chambers — one of the cruellest killing methods of pigs in the world today. After more than two years of drawn-out legal processes, this critical case for pigs is still active.

Farm Transparency Project’s 2023 media exposé provided a confronting insight into the traumatic final moments of most pigs killed for meat — their pain, distress, and prolonged suffering as they suffocate and slowly lose consciousness.

The disturbing footage captured by FTP investigators led to two ABC 7.30 reports and made clear just how much pigs — whether factory-farmed, free-range or RSPCA Approved — suffer in cruel carbon dioxide gassing systems. These sensitive, intelligent animals were filmed screaming out in fear and pain, and gasping for air.

Caring Australians were horrified to see (and hear) terrified pigs thrashing in agony, and naturally asked the question, “how can this be legal?.”

After months of scrutiny with some of the finest legal minds in the country, we built a case to argue that it isn’t.

Several procedural hearings were held throughout 2024, which culminated in a hearing to determine Animals Australia’s standing, or ‘authority to sue’. In late 2025, we were told that our case would not proceed to trial.

We knew this outcome reflected the limits of the law — not the merits of the issue. So, in January 2026, Animals Australia filed an application to appeal this decision. This process is now underway.

With pig gassing routine not just in Australia, but in many parts of the world, this is a globally significant legal test case that will help shine a spotlight on animal suffering on a mass scale.

Changing laws is a long and challenging process. But this case is about upholding the current law, which we will continue to argue is unable to be met by slaughterhouses that use the cruel gassing method.

This is a world-first litigation and the complexity of it makes it both challenging and expensive — but we know the pigs need us and we’re determined to do everything we can to spare these sensitive, social animals from cruel gas chambers.

Look out for updates as the case progresses in 2026. To avoid missing out, be sure to subscribe to our e-mail list using the form at the end of this page.