22 Oct 2024: Civil defence teams and residents work together to rescue a horse trapped beneath the rubble of a home destroyed by Israeli air strikes in Gaza.
One more innocent victim, among the many animals so often forgotten in this war not just on humanity, but on all creatures trapped there in this Hell unleashed by Israel, made possible by the United States.
Italy banned male chick killing in 2022, yet the slaughter quietly continues. From the heart of Rome to its most iconic landmark, advocates are demanding action.
March 28, 2025
Update February 2025 – Animal Equality projected a message onto the Colosseum, calling for enforcement of Italy’s male chick-killing ban. The display showed footage from hatcheries alongside the faces of the three Italian ministers responsible for implementing the ban. These were accompanied by the words: “Act now, stop the slaughter of male chicks!”
Advocates also launched a manifesto against chick killing, backed by journalist Giulia Innocenzi and singer-songwriter Giorgia.
Update December 2024 – Animal Equality’s Vice President for Europe spoke about male chick killing on TV program Mi Manda Rai Tre.
Update November 2024 – Protesters gathered outside the Agriculture and Health Ministries, condemning delays in the ban’s enforcement.
Update September 2023 – The Italian government outlined enforcement for the male chick killing ban. However, loopholes remain, allowing exceptions for sexing errors, machine failures, and more. A letter signed by Animal Equality and other groups urged the government to close these gaps.
Update August 2023 – Some members of Italy’s Chamber of Deputies–similar to the U.S. House of Representatives–asked to clarify enforcement of the 2022 male chick-killing ban. Officials formally requested answers from the Ministers of Agriculture and Health.
Update August 2022 – Italy’s Chamber of Deputies gave final approval for a ban on male chick killing. The law passed by a wide margin and is slated to take effect by 2026. Animal Equality’s Director for Italy spoke at a press conference to mark the occasion in the Parliament’s press room.
Animal Equality has launched a campaign urging Italy’s government to end the killing of male chicks in the egg industry.
The petition–directed at the Ministries of Agriculture and Health–calls for officials to promote in-ovo sexing technology and support companies that adopt it.
Italy’s largest supermarket chain–Coop–voiced its support just hours after Animal Equality’s campaign launch. The company announced online and in the media that it will adopt in-ovo sexing technology as soon as possible.
Around the world, millions of male chicks are killed every year because they can’t lay eggs or grow fast enough for meat. Within hours of hatching, they are typically ground up alive in industrial macerators, gassed, or in some cases, electrocuted.*
*While electrocution is allowed in the U.S., it is not allowed in Europe.
In Italy, tens of millions are discarded as waste each year. The practice is just as widespread in the U.S., where hundreds of millions are killed annually.
Billions of baby birds face death on the day they are born simply because their lives are not profitable. Please sign the petition to end this massacre.
(PLEASE SIGN PETITION ON PAGE)
In-ovo sexing technology identifies a chick’s sex before it hatches, preventing millions of male chicks from being born into the egg industry. Several countries have already adopted this method.
The process works by detecting the embryo’s sex within the first days of fertilization. This is done through a minimally invasive or non-invasive test.
Various in-ovo sexing technologies are available, though some are still in development.
While in-ovo sexing prevents male chicks from being killed, millions of hens still suffer in the egg industry. They endure short, stressful lives, only to be slaughtered when their production slows.
The simplest, most effective way to protect them is to choose plant-based alternatives. Check out delicious, compassionate, egg-free recipes on Love Veg (https://loveveg.com).
https://action.eko.org/campaign/iceland-ban-pmsg
It sounds like something out of a dystopian nightmare, but it’s real: pregnant horses are restrained and drained of massive amounts of blood, leaving them weak and traumatized —all so the pharmaceutical industry can extract PMSG, a hormone used to fuel factory farms.
And Iceland is at the center of this horror. As the only producer of PMSG in Europe, its blood farms keep industrial animal agriculture running across the continent. Without Iceland’s supply, the entire industry takes a major hit. But right now, we have a rare chance to shut these farms down for good.
Iceland’s government has already admitted that blood farms violate EU animal welfare laws. Under pressure, they’ve pledged to reconsider the future of PMSG production *this year*—to either ban it permanently or allow this cruelty to continue. Meanwhile, Ísteka—the pharmaceutical company profiting from this torture—is lobbying hard to keep blood farms open, pressuring Iceland’s government to protect its bottom line.
This is our moment. If we raise a massive global outcry now, we can drown out Big Pharma’s lobbyists and push Iceland to finally ban PMSG for good.
Tell Iceland: ban PMSG
Thanks to numerous investigations by the Animal Welfare Foundation, the reality of PMSG production in Iceland has been exposed. Their latest undercover investigation in 2023 revealed the true extent of the cruelty behind PMSG extraction, bringing this hidden industry to light.
PMSG is the ultimate symbol of factory farming’s brutality—a hormone extracted from the blood of pregnant horses to fuel mass production of meat. In industrial pig farms across Europe, mother sows are injected with PMSG to hijack their bodies, forcing synchronized pregnancies so factory farms can churn out piglets on a rigid schedule.
Iceland had a chance to stop it. But in 2023, under pressure from Ísteka the government caved. Instead of banning blood farms, they put forward weak regulations and delayed real action until this year. Now, with the future of PMSG on the line, Big Pharma’s lobbyists are back, fighting to keep the cruelty going. This time, we can’t let them win—Iceland’s leaders need to see that people everywhere are demanding they ban PMSG for good. If we act now, we can make this year the turning point.
The Ekō community has taken on this fight before—and won. We pressured two major German pharmaceutical companies to cut ties with blood farms in South America, dealing a big blow to this cruel industry. Now, Iceland is the last major stronghold—and together, we can shut it down.
Iceland admits to breaching EU law on horse blood farms
Eurogroup for Animals 28 September 2023
Investigation in Iceland: Blood Collection & Laboratory Samples, PMSG Production
Animal Welfare Foundation 18 August 2023
Reprieve until 2025 for blood farms in Iceland?
Eurogroup for Animals 28 March 2023
Prosciutto’s Secret Ingredient: Horse Blood
Sentient Media 30 May 2024
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PLEASE SIGN PETITION ON SITE
https://action.eko.org/campaign/iceland-ban-pmsg
and this is what it looks like …
A site well worth the visit, and proof – if that were needed – that NOT EVERYONE in Israel supports this practice!
Translation of above text:
An excerpt from a biased article in late 2016 about the adequacy of the conditions in the live transports (since then, countless horrors have been documented, all of which turn out to be adequate):
“The issue of animal cruelty is very important to the Ministry of Agriculture and to me personally,” Uri Ariel clarified. “We decided to conduct a surprise inspection of a shipment of calves arriving in Israel, in order to see the reality up close. The conditions on the ship were adequate.”
According to him, the professionals in veterinary services are doing a sacred job to reduce harm to animals, “We are constantly examining new ways to see what else can be done to reduce harm to animals imported into Israel.”
“Animal cruelty is a well-known prohibition in Judaism, an example of which is the rule ‘You shall not muzzle an ox,’ which was already written in the Torah thousands of years ago. Judaism taught humanity not to harm animals, and we as a country see this as a moral and professional obligation,” emphasized the Minister of Agriculture.
.. well worth a visit … even if you’re not living in the US.
Recent Article of Interest:
https://aldf.org/article/state-animal-protection-laws-ranked-oregon-is-1-north-dakota-50/
In February, 2025, Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) exposed rampant animal cruelty and environmental violations at Butterfield Dairy and Rainbow Valley Dairy – two major suppliers of Coca-Cola’s fairlife milk outside of Phoenix, Arizona. Despite fairlife’s claims of humane sourcing, ARM’s investigation proves the corporation’s complicity in severe abuse.
Undercover Investigation Reveals Brutal Cruelty
Between July and December 2024, ARM operatives infiltrated these dairies as employees, capturing disturbing footage of:
At Butterfield Dairy, workers rough-housed confused newborn calves and shoved feeding tubes down their throats, leading to fatal internal injuries and trauma. Their carcasses were left scattered across the property or sent to a methane plant for fuel.
At Rainbow Valley Dairy, pregnant cows endured continual beatings, their tails broken, and electric prods used to force compliance. Managers botched euthanasia procedures, shooting cows in the neck and leaving them to suffer prolonged, agonizing deaths.
Environmental Infractions & Worker Misconduct
A Pattern of Abuse: The DeJong Family & Fairlife’s Broken Promises
Both dairies are owned and operated by the DeJong family. ARM’s 2019 dairy expose at Natural Prairie Dairy and Fair Oaks Farms exposed similar horrors, revealing Coca-Cola and fairlife’s direct ties to industrialized animal cruelty.
In response to public outrage, Coca-Cola pledged over $40 million in animal welfare reforms, promising audits, employee training, and video monitoring. However, ARM’s latest findings prove these measures were nothing more than corporate deception—systemic abuse persists.
Take Action: Demand Accountability
ARM demands immediate arrests of dairy owners, managers, and employees. All calves must be removed from inhumane enclosures. Coca-Cola and fairlife executives must be held accountable for their role in enabling this cruelty and for this ongoing atrocity.
Consumers have the power to demand real change. Boycott fairlife and Coca-Cola’s cruelty-ridden products and expose corporate lies.
Update:
The Maricopa Sheriff’s Office and the USDA are currently conducting their own investigations for arrests and accountability.
Fairlife has stated it has cut ties with the Rainbow Valley and Butterfield Dairy, however ARM will monitor this to ensure this continues.
A civil action lawsuit has been filed against fairlife, Click to view.
We will update this page once this investigation develops and arrests are made.
Read ARM’s detailed reports of Rainbow Valley Dairy and Butterfield Dairy.
Take the pledge to hold Coca-Cola’s fairlife brand accountable.
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cows-animal-abuse-arla-milk-b2711148.html
An injured cow with blood on its head pictured on the farm
Animal Justice Project
https://animalequality.org/news/dangers-of-brazils-self-control-law/
Animal Equality’s investigation reveals the impact of Brazil’s 2022 Self-Control Law, which reduced government oversight of slaughterhouses. The findings uncover rampant cruelty and violations, with profits prioritized over animals, public health, and transparency.
Video on page or VIMEO Link: https://vimeo.com/1047226914
The latest investigation, featuring never-before-seen footage, uncovers significant failures in cow and chicken slaughterhouses in rural São Paulo.
These facilities were already following a state-level version of the Self-Control Law before it was implemented across the country. Investigators found widespread violations of handling and slaughter rules set by Brazil’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock.
In 2022, Animal Equality issued an urgent warning about the risks of the Self-Control Bill. Investigating pig and cow slaughterhouses in the states of Minas Gerais and Pará, the team uncovered a critical shortage of government inspectors.
Without proper oversight, workers were left to enforce safety and animal protection rules on their own, resulting in widespread violations. Despite these findings, the bill became law.
Between the 2022 and 2024 investigations, Animal Equality documented:
Intentional cruelty:
Stunning failures:
Delayed slaughter:
Mutilations while conscious:
Poor facility conditions:
(All That is Wrong with the System of Live Export … – Comment Ed.)
17-10-2024 News Animal Transports
Two transport vehicles carrying heavily pregnant heifers left Germany on September 12 and reached the Turkish border at Kapikule four days later, on September 16, where they were held for a month. The German authorities were aware of the acute emergency situation since September 23 but did not intervene. Between September 23 and October 2, the animals were briefly unloaded, provided with water and feed, and housed in a makeshift shelter. On October 2, they were loaded back onto the transport vehicles. The exact reasons for this decision remain unclear. However, there are rumors that unsanitary conditions, intense odors, and a fly infestation prompted this action. The German authorities took action when the animals were reloaded onto the trucks, but the measures taken were completely inadequate.
The conditions for the animals on the transports deteriorated with each passing day. Although they were fed and watered, the care provided was insufficient due to their advanced stages of pregnancy. Moreover, the transport vehicles were not cleaned, causing the cows to stand ankle-deep in their own excrement. During this time, and under these appalling conditions, several calves were born, none of which had a chance of survival. The first report of a dead animal was received on October 6.
On October 11, the state of Brandenburg, from which the animals originally came, issued a euthanasia order that mandated the slaughter of the cows by October 13. On the evening of October 14, the animals were transported to a slaughterhouse near the border in Edirne. Many heifers and newborn calves had already died on the transport vehicles. On October 15, the animals were slaughtered without anesthesia. The calves suffocated painfully inside their dying mothers. There is a much more humane method of euthanasia called placentally accessible euthanasia, which allows the unborn calves to be euthanized alongside their mothers.
The bodies of those animals that had already died before arriving at the slaughterhouse were left on the trucks to be dumped in a landfill later. As the teams from Animals’ Angels and Animal Welfare Foundation left the slaughterhouse, they were alerted by the loud mooing of an animal that had been left alive on the truck, which was now to be unloaded alongside the dead animals. We were able to arrange for an emergency slaughter of the animal on-site.
Urgent Call for a Transport Ban
Since 2010, Animals’ Angels and the Animal Welfare Foundation have called for an immediate end to animal transports to Turkey. The conditions at the Turkish border of Kapikule and the cruel death of the animals once again demonstrate that these transports are incompatible with animal welfare requirements, as stated in Article 3 of Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005: “No one shall carry out or arrange for the transport of animals if it is likely to cause them injury or unnecessary suffering.”
This case starkly highlights the urgent need for an immediate halt to such exports.
We will continue to remain on-site and work with a Turkish lawyer to initiate legal action. We demand clear and enforceable measures from the German government and the European Union to end the suffering of these animals.
VIDEO in German (from German TV Programme, “37 Grad”)
https://www.zdf.de/dokumentation/37-grad/37-schutzlos-ausgeliefert-100.html
The Story of Calf 1578
(Animal Equality)
https://animalequality.org/blog/2023/04/12/the-tragic-end-to-the-life-of-calf-1578/
Donation Link on Page
World Animals Voice 