On the 17th of December 2024, the international animal protection organisation Last Chance for Animals (LCA), founded in 1984, released a follow-up video after its exposé on the 5th of December 2024 of the conditions endured by pigs on Italian farms supplying Prosciutto di Parma. The undercover footage taken between April and November 2024 exposed animal cruelty at farms run by Elio Martinelli, President of Assosuini, the Italian Pig Farmers Association.
After Assosuini complained about the initial release, LCA provided proof that the footage was filmed recently and verified with GPS data and dated newspaper clippings, leaving no room for doubt regarding the authenticity of the investigation. The Consortium of Prosciutto di Parma claimed that the farms investigated do not directly produce Prosciutto di Parma, but LCA’s investigation documented the presence of specific identifying “Parma Ham” tattoos on the pigs, which ties these farms to the production of Prosciutto di Parma.
Dario Buffoli, a vet who acts as a Consultant for the Italian Judicial Police, supplied expert opinion on the LCA footage, stating that “the documented conditions would cause animal suffering; a worker who killed a piglet appeared to be in violation of Italy’s Penal Code, which makes it illegal to kill an animal without a justifiable reason; sows sustained pressure sores from being housed in gestation and farrowing crates and while some were treated the vast majority are not; there should not be pressure sores on the animal, because this is a suffering animal.”
LCA filed a legal complaint with the Public Prosecutor’s Office at the Court of Mantua citing violations of Italian criminal and administrative laws, specifically addressing the poor living conditions and alleged cruelty uncovered at these farms.
Chris DeRose, President and Founder of LCA, said, “The footage speaks for itself — there is no escaping the truth of the horrific conditions that these pigs are subjected to. Consumers deserve to know the truth about where their food comes from and the suffering it entails.”
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