Fifty thousand piglets burnt to death in huge pig breeding farm in Germany

Six pink baby pigs look into the camera through a fence
Piglets look out from a fence at farm, photo: Reuters/Enrique Marcarian

Around 50,000 piglets and 7,000 female pigs abused for breeding died in a fire in a very large pig breeding factory in Alt Tellin in Germany.

The fire started Tuesday morning, spread quickly through ventilation systems and other connections and killed almost all animals in the facility. Only 1300 animals were saved.

Firefighters tried to stop the flames from the inside, but gave up because it was too dangerous. The fire could not be stopped from the outside, German news organisation NDR said.

Concerned citizens and animal rights activists had questioned the safety of the facility ten years ago, when it was built: they wondered how the animals would be rescued in case of a fire, NDR said.

On Wednesday, around 200 people gathered in front of the farm, mourning the death of the 57,000 pigs. They were holding signs with “We are concerned. Stop animal pain”, “Tens of thousands. Suffering never again” and “Cheap meat = cheap living? Murder of the pig” on them.

The breeding facility in Alt Tellin was one of the biggest of its kind in Germany. It’s not clear what caused the fire.

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