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Stop The Dangerous Cruelty Of Using Downed Pigs For Food

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Sponsor: The Animal Rescue Site

Every year thousands of pigs too sick to stand are abused and forced into our food supply—spreading cruelty and disease that put animals and people alike at risk.

Pig resting its head on the edge of a concrete enclosure in a dark barn.

Every year in the United States, thousands of pigs collapse from illness, injury, or exhaustion and are unable to stand. These “downed” pigs are still forced through the slaughter pipeline, despite being too weak to walk. They endure horrific abuse—kicked, dragged by chains, or electroshocked—because they cannot move on their own1. Beyond the cruelty, these animals pose a direct danger to our food system.

A Public Health Hazard

Downed pigs are more likely to harbor and spread pathogens that can make people sick. Scientific studies show that pigs can carry a wide range of zoonotic diseases—swine influenza, hepatitis E, Nipah virus, trichinellosis, and more—capable of spreading to humans through direct contact or contaminated meat2. Experts warn that pigs act as “mixing vessels” for viruses, allowing new strains with pandemic potential to emerge3. The 2009 H1N1 pandemic, which killed hundreds of thousands globally, traced back to swine3.

In 2007, the U.S. banned the slaughter of downed cows after the risk of Mad Cow Disease became clear. Nine years later, the slaughter of downed calves was outlawed as well. Yet pigs remain excluded, even though the U.S. Department of Agriculture itself has acknowledged that downed animals are more likely to carry foodborne illness1. This inaction leaves a dangerous loophole in food safety policy.

The Pigs and Public Health Act

Representative Veronica Escobar (D-TX) has reintroduced the Pigs and Public Health Act (H.R.4757) to finally close this gap. The bill would prohibit the slaughter of downed pigs, outlaw their abuse, and require testing for zoonotic diseases. It also bans the sale of their meat and requires the USDA and CDC to release public reports on the risks they pose to our food supply1.

This legislation has the support of animal protection and food safety experts. They agree that it is not only a humane measure but a commonsense safeguard against future outbreaks of disease linked to industrial farming4. With bird flu spreading across U.S. farms and new viruses emerging worldwide, the urgency of this reform cannot be overstated2.

Compassion and Responsibility

How we treat animals impacts our own health. Intensive confinement and abuse of livestock do not just raise ethical concerns—they create the perfect conditions for deadly diseases to spread5. Choosing compassion is also choosing prevention, safety, and responsibility for the communities that depend on a secure food system.

It is long past time to stop the slaughter of downed pigs. Congress must act now to protect both animals and people from this ongoing crisis. Add your name today to support the Pigs and Public Health Act.

More on this issue:

  1. Animal Legal Defense Fund (19 July 2023), "Pigs and Public Health Act Reintroduced in the U.S. House to Prohibit Slaughter of Downed Pigs."
  2. Harvard Gazette, Alvin Powell (9 July 2023), "COVID-19 came from animals. Why aren’t we working to prevent new scourge?"
  3. Agata Augustyniak & Małgorzata Pomorska-Mól, Animals (October 2023), "An Update in Knowledge of Pigs as the Source of Zoonotic Pathogens."
  4. Chao-Nan Lin et al., Frontiers in Veterinary Science (January 2023), "Editorial: Zoonotic diseases among pigs."
  5. Aysha Akhtar, Journal of Public Health Policy (June 2013), "The need to include animal protection in public health policies."

The Petition

Dear Congresswoman Veronica Escobar,

We, the undersigned, thank you for your leadership in reintroducing the Pigs and Public Health Act (H.R.4757). This legislation is urgently needed to address a cruel and dangerous practice: the slaughter of pigs too sick, injured, or weak to stand. These “downed” pigs endure extreme suffering, often kicked, dragged, or shocked to move them through the slaughter pipeline. No animal should be subjected to such treatment.

Beyond the moral obligation to act with humanity and compassion, the continued slaughter of downed pigs poses a direct threat to public health. Animals in such conditions are more likely to harbor dangerous pathogens, including viruses and bacteria capable of spreading to people. From swine flu to hepatitis E, history has shown that pigs can act as “mixing vessels” for diseases with pandemic potential. Allowing downed pigs into the food supply is not only unsafe but reckless.

The United States already recognized these risks when it banned the slaughter of downed cows in 2007, followed by calves raised for veal. Yet pigs—one of the largest segments of industrial livestock—remain unprotected. This glaring gap undermines food safety, exposes consumers to preventable risks, and allows cruelty to persist unchecked.

The Pigs and Public Health Act would finally close this loophole. By prohibiting the slaughter of downed pigs, outlawing their abuse, mandating testing for zoonotic diseases, and requiring transparent reporting from the USDA and CDC, this legislation advances both public health and animal welfare. It recognizes that protecting animals and protecting people are not separate goals, but deeply interconnected responsibilities.

Sanitation and safety must be guiding principles in our food system. Compassion must be as well. By refusing to tolerate the suffering of animals who are too sick or injured to stand, we are also refusing to accept the public health hazards that come with ignoring their condition.

Passing the Pigs and Public Health Act is not only an act of compassion for some of the most vulnerable animals in agriculture—it is an act of responsibility to consumers, agricultural workers, and the broader public. These reforms will help build a safer, more humane, and more trustworthy food system.

By taking this step, we can create a healthier and more secure future for animals, for people, and for generations to come.

Sincerely,

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