Pig Beaten in the Face at Local Slaughterhouse; PETA Seeks Criminal Probe
For Immediate Release:
December 8, 2025
Contact:
Moira Colley 202-483-7382
A disturbing U.S. Department of Agriculture report just obtained by PETA reveals that a worker at the Yosemite Foods slaughterhouse in Stockton repeatedly and “forcefully” struck a pig, including in the face. In response, PETA sent an urgent letter this morning to San Joaquin County District Attorney Ron Freitas, urging him to investigate and file appropriate criminal charges against the suspect.
According to the report, on June 19, the worker used a rattle paddle to hit the pig on the back, shoulders, and in the face, causing the pig to cry out with each blow. The inspector noted that the worker was “striking the hog[] in an inhumane manner by using excessive force.”
“As though being slashed across her throat and hacked apart weren’t bad enough, this pig suffered the terror and pain of being beaten in the face during her final moments on Earth,” says PETA Vice President of Legal Advocacy Daniel Paden. “PETA is calling for a criminal investigation on behalf of this pig and urges everyone to help prevent animals from suffering in slaughterhouses by please going vegan.”
PETA is pursuing charges under state law because 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 and free vegan starter kits for anyone thinking of making the switch. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow PETA on X, Facebook, or Instagram.
PETA’s letter to Freitas follows.
December 8, 2025
The Honorable Ronald J. Freitas
San Joaquin County District Attorney
Dear Mr. Freitas:
I’m writing to request that your office (and a law-enforcement agency, as necessary) file applicable criminal charges against the Yosemite Foods Inc. employee responsible for beating a pig—including in the face—on June 19 at the company’s slaughterhouse, located at 4221 E. Mariposa Rd. in Stockton.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) documented the incident in a report that the agency recently made available to the public. (See attachment.) According to the report, an FSIS inspector saw the Yosemite Foods worker “forcefully strike [a] hog’s face with [a] rattle paddle, in addition to forcefully striking the hog’s back and shoulders. The employee was striking the hog in a forceful manner using rapid swings of the rattle paddle, which created [a] loud noise each time it hit the hog, and the hog reacted” by crying out.
The inspector concluded that the suspect “was striking the hog[] in an inhumane manner by using excessive force.”
Please note that FSIS’ action carries no criminal or civil penalties and does not preempt criminal liability under state law for acts of cruelty to animals.
The conduct described above appears to violate Cal. Penal Code § 597(b), which prohibits anyone from tormenting or cruelly beating a pig. California law affords this victim her only chance at a small measure of justice. We urge your office to seek it.
Thank you for your time and consideration.
Sincerely,
Daniel Paden
Vice President of Legal Advocacy
cc: Chief Stanley McFadden, Stockton Police Department
