Sick pigs, piglets crushed by their mothers, dying animals… chilling images from a pig farm linked to E.Leclerc

L214 dénonce les conditions d’élevage de porcs pour l’enseigne E.Leclerc. L214

The L214 association unveiled, this Thursday, September 12, chilling images filmed in a pig farm located in Saint-Carreuc, Brittany. The animals' living conditions are denounced, accusing the E.Leclerc brand of tolerating breeding practices deemed cruel and unsanitary. L214 filed a complaint for mistreatment and is calling for citizen mobilization in front of several supermarkets.

The videos broadcast by L214 show shocking scenes: sick pigs, piglets crushed under the weight of their mothers, or even dying animals left without care. Some piglets are killed by being violently beaten against the ground, sometimes dying for long minutes. Many animal corpses are also visible, abandoned among the living animals in unsanitary buildings, with no access to the outside.

The pigs from this farm are then sent to the E.Leclerc slaughterhouse in Le Mené (Côtes-d'Armor), whose meat supplies the brand's supermarkets under the Repère brand. This farm is part of the Breton Elpor group, which L214 accuses of neglecting animal welfare.

Confinement and overpopulation: deplorable living conditions

Pregnant or maternity sows live in cages so small that they can neither turn around nor move freely, which leads to compulsive disorders, such as frantically biting the bars, according to Savoir Animal. Overcrowding exacerbates the situation: piglets are often crushed by their mothers due to lack of space, while post-weaning and fattening pigs are crammed together due to lack of space.

Lack of stimulation leads some animals to bite the ears and tails of their peers. To remedy this, breeders cut their tails without anesthesia. Other animals, dead, are left to decompose among their fellow animals, causing scenes of rare cruelty.

L214 also denounces the deplorable state of the breeding, with water leaks, piles of dust and a proliferation of insects in the buildings.

A recurring situation for E.Leclerc

The images revealed by L214 are not a case isolated for the E.Leclerc brand. Last March, the association had already pointed the finger at another breeding supplying the group, which led to its administrative closure by the prefect of Morbihan. Despite this, Michel-Edouard Leclerc had reaffirmed his commitment to the “animal welfare”, highlighting the labels “Products in Brittany” and “French pork”, which do not, however, guarantee any improvement in breeding conditions.

L214 calls on E.Leclerc to take measures

L214 urges Michel-Edouard Leclerc to commit to respecting the criteria of the "Pig Minimum Standards", a set of standards aimed at banning the most cruel practices, such as pig mutilation and piglet snapping, and improving living conditions for animals. Among the association's demands are the reduction of densities, the introduction of litter to enrich the pigs' environment, the end of individual cages and access to the outdoors for the animals.

Actions are planned for this Saturday, September 14 in front of 35 E.Leclerc supermarkets to inform consumers about the conditions in which pigs are raised, and a petition addressed to Michel-Edouard Leclerc has been launched by the association. Several companies, such as Marie Blachère and Best Western, have already committed to meeting these standards by 2030. L214 hopes to see the E.Leclerc brand follow suit and take an example.