The images are the kind that then, at night, when you're lying in bed unable to sleep, spin around in your head with a whole load of questions. Is it really possible that behind a product like Parma ham, considered a hallmark of Italian excellence, scenes like those documented by the investigative team at Essere Animali could be hiding? Pigs left to die in agony, acts of cannibalism and brutal behaviour by workers, who grab the animals by their legs and hurl them to the ground.

The investigation, shared by the Corriere della Sera website with a video that has garnered tens of thousands of views and by Tg3, casts new shadows over the conditions of animals in Italian intensive farms. More information on the investigation can be found on the Prosciutto crudele di Parma website. Here we want to answer hypothetical questions (in FAQ style) drawn from the many emails we have received which, alongside words of gratitude for our work, contained requests for information that we wish to answer publicly.

Why did we carry out an investigation in this particular farm?
We received a tip-off suggesting we check the conditions of animals at a facility in the province of Forlì-Cesena. From the very first inspections, carried out at night, our operatives came into contact with many visibly suffering and injured animals. This led to the decision to install hidden cameras to monitor the daily treatment of the animals by farm workers. Six months of investigation made it possible to establish that certain practices — such as the management of sick animals, left to fend for themselves and allowed to die of neglect — constituted the grim routine. Cannibalism was so widespread that pigs were biting other animals even in the presence of our operatives.

Did we report the farm?
The video material was filed with the Corpo forestale dello Stato of Forlì-Cesena, together with a complaint alleging violations of legislative decree of 7 July 2011, number 122 ("Minimum standards for the protection of pigs"), and of the decree of 26 March 2001, number 146 ("Protection of animals on farms").

The Corpo forestale dello Stato acted immediately, carrying out a raid inside the farm, during which approximately 550 pigs were found housed amid excrement, sick or injured. The animals were moved to an adjacent empty shed in order to reduce overcrowding, and administrative sanctions were imposed. We will work to ensure that the matter also takes on relevance in criminal proceedings, because such conduct must absolutely be considered "cruel acts — carried out without necessity", the two conditions required by law for the offence of "animal cruelty" to be established.

Why did checks by the national veterinary service and the Istituto Parma Qualità not reveal a situation like this?
In truth, they had, at least in part. In a Tg3 report, an official responsible for the veterinary health area of Emilia Romagna stated that certain critical issues at the farm were known and had led to requirements to improve management and structural aspects. However, we cannot help but note that the situation deteriorated completely. The fact that this happened at a farm supplying one of the best-selling ham brands in Italy — where one in three hams sold is Parma ham — should give us pause for thought.

Are all farms like this?
The majority of ham, Parma and otherwise, comes from intensive farms. Industrial sheds in which animals spend just under a year of their lives in a highly overcrowded environment, before being transported to the slaughterhouse.

The pig, a naturally curious animal that in the wild would spend much of its time rooting around, visibly suffers from these deprivations and may vent its distress by biting the extremities of other animals' bodies. While it is true that there are farms where the level of cannibalism is kept in check, it is equally true that the law provides for the possibility of docking the tails and reducing the teeth of pigs to limit this phenomenon, which is therefore a serious problem.

A broadly similar argument can be made regarding the violent behaviour of farm workers. While there will certainly be facilities where no abuse takes place, the fact remains that this is no guarantee of animal welfare for animals that, in practice, live in a cramped space with no access to an outdoor area at any time.

What can I do if I don't want to eat meat from animals that have suffered?
We should raise them in better conditions — that is the first thought that crosses most people's minds. But if we want our choices not to cause animals to suffer, then we must begin to consider the idea of not eating meat. Regardless of farming conditions, which certainly affect quality of life, there remains the difficulty of imagining slaughter as a non-violent practice. And even if we were naïve enough to think that it involves no blood and no screaming, but rather a painless euthanasia, the truth remains that its consumption is the product of cultural habits from which we can free ourselves.