Every year, millions of farm animals suffer
unimaginable abuse in livestock auctions across the United States - hidden from public view and accountability.
These auctions are
key hubs in the meat industry, places where cows, goats, sheep, and other animals are subjected to horrific mistreatment as they are bought and sold. A 1.5-year undercover investigation by Strategies for Ethical and Environmental Development (SEED) uncovered daily abuses at 17 auctions and markets across 10 states.
Sign the petition to demand federal laws protecting farm animals from cruelty at auctions!These marketplaces have one thing in common: animals are treated as mere commodities rather than living beings capable of feeling pain and fear. SEED investigators documented appalling abuse, including handlers
beating, kicking, and dragging animals, neglecting severe injuries, and behaving with
outright sadistic cruelty.At one auction, a cow unable to stand was
dragged by a forklift, with a chain wrapped around her neck, as the operator laughed at her distress. In another, a worker deliberately trapped and
crushed a goat's head between a wall and a gate, leaving the animal screaming in pain. After, another human
grabbed him by his scrotum and threw him with enough force to send him flying several feet. His cries were ignored. Calves too young to walk were shocked with electric prods and thrown violently into trucks. Many animals collapsed from exhaustion or died during transport due to overcrowding, heat, and neglect.
These atrocities persist because no federal laws protect farm animals at auctions, leaving their welfare entirely unregulated. Even state laws, where they exist, are weak and rarely enforced. This lack of accountability creates a breeding ground for unchecked cruelty.
Animals are not commodities - they are living, feeling beings who deserve protection from harm. The abuse documented at livestock auctions reveals not only a lack of accountability but a failure of our moral responsibility.
Sign the petition to demand that Congress implement federal protections for farm animals, and enforce humane treatment standards!