Pinned to this chair are two pieces of writing – they are intended to be like the prays on a prayer flag.
The green flag reads;
More than 10 million pigs were slaughtered in the UK in 2024 – 90% of them were gassed with high concentration CO2. They are typically loaded in groups of about half a dozen into something like a paternoster lift, which lowers them gradually into ever higher concentrations of gas.
There are welfare issues associated with this practice. In 2004 the European Food Saftey Authority ( EFSA) concluded that ” At concentrations above 30%, CO2 is known to be aversive and cause irritation of the mucous membranes that can be painful and elicit hyperventilation and gasping before loss of conciousness. Numerous reports document the aversive behaviours caused by high CO2 concentration, including lateral head movements, sneezing, gasping, vocalisations, muscular excitation, aggression, neck extention, eye rotation and violent bulking. Some pigs even regain consciousness before slaughter”
European Food Saftey Authority (EFSA). Welfare Aspects Of The Main Systems Of Stunning And Killing The Main Commercial Species Of Animals. The EFSA Journel 2004.45, 1-29.
“This response in pigs does not accord the the aim of the 2009 regulation to protect the welfare of animals at the time of killing”.
The blue flag reads;
“Someone posted a short piece of film on social media of a single pig being dragged into a slaughterhouse. It was clearly not being filmed covertly but rather in the style of promotional footage with dialogue – it might have been a farmer behind the camera. Despite the positive commentary the pig seemed not to understand that it was organic and that this was a small family owned and run slaughterhouse. I wondered if a solitary pig surrounded by people with chains and knives was more or less petrified than a pig in a gas chamber with all it’s mates? They both make the same noise. Like any normal person I watched the clip almost to the end before scrolling on to the next post. I promised the pig I would mark it’s passing in some way.”
Don’t eat pigs.