Pigs Trapped in Asia’s Growing Meat Industry
Moving Animals conducted an undercover investigation to document how both humans and animals are exploited at a pig slaughterhouse in Cambodia.
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The Issue
An estimated 600 pigs are slaughtered every night at an open-air slaughterhouse in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Workers operate in pairs: one uses a metal rod to pummel the pig’s head, then the other slits the pig’s throat.
The walls of the slaughterhouse are formed by apartment buildings, and so for many of the families living there, and their young children, their only window directly overlooks the killing floor.
The proximity was shocking: these crowded apartment rooms are filled with the stench of animal faeces, and the residents’ sleep is punctuated by the screams of dying animals throughout the night. To film the slaughterhouse, we rented one of these small, single apartment rooms.
We were also struck by the emotional violence inflicted on the slaughterhouse workers - our footage showed one worker repeatedly look away as his colleague slit the animals' throats. Cambodia’s own agriculture director has said that this method has an effect on the workers - “the knives, the blood, and the killing traumatises them.” Tellingly, the worker who slits the pigs' throats is paid more than the others.
Impact For Change:
In Southeast Asia, the meat industry is growing at an drastic rate - around 300,000 pigs are slaughter annually in Cambodia alone. The laws for animal welfare are practically non-existent in Cambodia leaving these animals with no protection.
To help draw attention to the suffering of animals who are used in the food industry, we released the investigative footage with the UK media platform, The Guardian.
Moving Animals co-founder, Amy Jones, also published a piece about the human-animal consequences of the animal agriculture industries for Tenderly Magazine.
Dr. Lucy Huia is a passionate animal advocate, dedicated hands on rescuer, and an incredible doctor in Cambodia’s capital, Phon Phem. As well as her full-time role as a doctor and her efforts to educate her patients about the advantages of a plant-based diet, Lucy founded her own shelter to protect the city’s animals. Every single day, she feeds the many dogs and cats that rely on her, gathers animals for spaying and neutering, and provides constant care for the disabled and ill animals in her shelter. Through her remarkable advocacy and rescue initiatives, Lucy is making a significant impact for animals in Cambodia. Discover more about her work and support here.
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Visit the Animals used for food gallery on the Moving Animal archive. For related footage, please get in touch.