Conscious Pig Repeatedly Shot, Mutilated at Pottsville Slaughterhouse

For Immediate Release:
November 10, 2026

Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382

A just-released USDA report reveals the horrific, prolonged and painful killing of a pig by workers at Cypress Valley Meat Company in Pottsville. According to the report, on Oct. 26, a federal inspector found a pig still conscious and panting after workers had shot the animal, cut the pig’s throat, cut off a hoof, and begun skinning the animal. A supervisor then shot the pig twice—after the first shot, the pig cried out and kicked, and after the second, the animal cried out again. The supervisor then took a knife and made “additional cuts” to the pig’s neck, and the suffering animal finally lost consciousness about 10 seconds later. Inspections of the slaughterhouse were suspended as a result.

Cypress Valley has a history of abuse and animal suffering. Earlier this year, Cypress Valley worker(s) repeatedly electroshocked a long-horned cow who was unable to move forward due to their horns being caught on a post, causing the animal to cry out and damage their horns while attempting to escape the shocks. In December, a pig remained standing and crying out after being shot in the head. And in 2019, a pig screamed as workers shot the animal in the head four times before finally rendering the pig unconscious.

Despite documented abuse, federal officials haven’t prosecuted any inspected slaughterhouses for acts of abuse since at least 2007.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that Every Animal Is Someone and offers free Empathy Kits for people who need a lesson in kindness. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.