Gasping for Life: Viva! Tackles the Horror of Gassing Pigs to Death

Each year, 9.8 million pigs in the UK are needlessly slaughtered, with 88 per cent being gassed to death in carbon dioxide gas chambers. It is utterly sickening to witness! The pigs are essentially suffocated while being tortured – the gas turns to acid which burns their eyes and internal organs so they feel they are burning from the inside out. It can take up to two minutes to die and of course they scream and frantically struggle in a futile attempt to free themselves from the metal-barred ‘gondolas’ that hold them captive.

When the gondola is lowered, the pigs will begin screaming in severe pain and thrashing around as they try to escape

Viva! cannot possibly ignore this gross abuse and are doing our best to end it with our new campaign, Gasping for Life. Our job is never done as it seems the meat industry lurches from one horrific practice to another.

For over 20 years, numerous government and EU bodies have raised the alarm over this cruel slaughter method but nothing changes. So we know we cannot rely on any of the various authorities to fix it – not even the RSPCA which, amazingly, approves slaughter by gassing. We have to act collectively to end the suffering of these intelligent creatures.

Viva!’s founder and director, Juliet Gellatley, witnessed the terror and pain pigs face in the UK and expressed her feelings: “The traumatic sounds of dying pigs will linger permanently in my mind and will act as a painful goad, constantly reminding me never to forget these innocent victims. I will do all I can to end this human-inflicted nightmare.”

Viva!’s determination has been intensified by the meat industry’s efforts to conceal their savagery; they even have the audacity to promote gassing as a humane option. It’s not just inhumane, it’s not just tragic, the violence they’re committing is beyond barbaric.

We all know that there is no such thing as a humane slaughter so, with the inspiring backing of our remarkable supporters, we began the campaign by causing a monumental commotion in central London.

A huge cinema-truck, complete with an extremely loud soundtrack, drove slowly past famous landmarks playing footage of this despicable practice. We also spoke to hundreds of people, bringing home the truth of what’s happening behind closed doors and our cinema truck was seen by over a million. Heads were turned, people stopped on the street, car drivers halted in the middle of the road to watch.

The powerful event led many onlookers to want clarification and approach our campaigns team with questions. Some were in tears, others expressed disgust and even more were seething with anger.

It was an extremely constructive and hope-filled day because, through our conversations, we spread the word that none of this happens when you go vegan. We reinforced the fact with delicious free tastings of vegan alternatives to pig meat. A combination of the two approaches saw many people commit to going vegan.

And we didn’t stop there, we reached over two million with our hard-hitting video billboards in prime London locations, from Clapham Junction and Waterloo to Leicester Square; from Westminster, White City and Bethnal Green to New Cross and Wapping.

As part of the campaign, we’ve also been hitting social media with loads of short video adverts and thought- provoking, 30-second films. We also commissioned a survey on public attitudes, which brought high-profile media coverage for this vital cause.

If you would like to help save these beautiful animals from unnecessary torture, get involved by ordering our door dropper leaflets or taking part in our Gasping for Life events run by the Viva! outreach network all over the country. Email outreach@viva.org.uk or visit viva.org.uk/act-now.