On June 30th, EAST and several non-governmental organizations protested in front of the Ministry of Agriculture (MOA), accusing the government of pushing pork exports while ignoring inhumane live auctions.

 

Taiwan's live pig auction system subjects the animals to extreme cruelty and abuse. Footages released by EAST exposes the brutal mistreatment endured by approximately 6 million pigs annually in Taiwan before slaughter, including violent electric shocks, whippings, metal branding, and hooking of the snout or dragging by the anus while the animals are still alive. 

 

The evidence was collected and filmed between September 2024 to March 2025, at 13 meat markets across 11 counties and cities nationwide.

 

Groups urge the MOA to address the severe animal abuse underlying this outdated and barbaric live auction system and to expedite the implementation of a policy roadmap and timeline for transitioning to a “carcass grading” system, enabling Taiwan's pork production to align with modernized international standards.
 

Every year in Taiwan, approximately 6 million pigs are subjected to brutal treatment before slaughter, including violent electric shocks, beatings, branding with nails, being hooked through the jaw while still alive, or being dragged by their anus. Some pigs collapse from fear, exhaustion, or slipping due to the violent handling, and it’s common to see distressed pigs lying down or sitting in exhaustion beside the auction walkway.

 

 

The MOA recently announced with pride that Taiwan has become the only country in Asia free of the three major swine diseases and will actively promote pork exports into the international market. However, the sale of pigs in Taiwan still involve the live auction system, which severely abuses animals. 

 

Yu-Min Chen, Deputy Chief Executive of EAST, pointed out that since 2016, the government has been urged by animal protection NGOs to actively guide the pork industry to transition away from live animal auctions. However, the MOA has taken no proactive measures over the years, resulting in a systemic violence against animals.

As early as 2016, EAST had already released disturbing footage from meat markets across Taiwan, documenting the cruel treatment of pigs during live auctions. We urged the government to actively assist meat markets in transitioning away from live auctions. Yet nine years have passed, and the Ministry of Agriculture has taken little meaningful action. Our latest investigation in 2025 sadly confirms that institutionalized violence remains widespread. The photo shows a typical scene in many meat markets: workers using iron hooks to drag pigs, so distressed that they can no longer walk, by their jaws or lips back into the auction area. Such brutality is appalling and unacceptable.

 

 

The design of live pig auctions forces pigs to enter narrow auction channels one by one to “walk the runway” so that meat merchants can observe their appearance and bid on them. Deterred by gates that are manually controlled to open and close, pigs are purposely forced to make sudden stops and starts. Often, out of fear, they refuse to move, prompting staff to use electric prods, sticks and whips to beat the animals or to stab their anuses to force them forward. When pigs are shocked or beaten, they instinctively rush forward, where they are then blocked by the next gate suddenly closing, causing a collision. The entire auction process causes many pigs to collapse on the ground due to stress and fear, or slip and fall due to the wet, slippery walkway, only to be subjected to even stronger electric shocks and violent beatings. Almost every pig is left with severe injuries after the auction.

 

New Taipei City has the highest number of auctions nationwide. During the approximately five-hour auction process each day, at least 25–30 pigs collapse from excessive stress and are unable to walk. After being driven out onto the slippery walkway, they suffer secondary injuries from slipping or falling, and are then violently dragged away when they can no longer move. Investigators observed on-site that many stressed pigs were constantly kicked, with staff using iron hooks to lift the pigs by their snouts or anuses and dragging them onto trucks for transport. The scene was filled with constant cries of distress.

 

In several counties and cities across Taiwan with high auction volumes, such as New Taipei, Yunlin, Nantou, Taoyuan, and Changhua, many pigs collapse from fear and stress during auctions and are unable to walk. Investigative footage of the Yilan Meat Market shows how pigs were weighed while being suspended by one leg from an iron chain, before having their upper jaws hooked and dragged back to the auction site. 

 

 

In addition, the live auction system increases the suffering and risk of death associated with long-distance transportation and herding of pigs.
Pigs are transported from farms in central and southern Taiwan to northern Taiwan and even Yilan, Hualien, and Taitung, in eastern and southeastern part of Taiwan. Taking Yunlin County as an example, a major pig-farming county, in order to reach northern auction sites, pigs are transported up to 230 kilometers. Furthermore, according to meat market statistics of 2024, 36% of pigs auctioned are not slaughtered at the auction market but are instead transported to other slaughterhouses, which means the pigs are made to endure multiple transports and increased accident risks.

Open-air pig transport trucks provide little to no shelter, relying solely on horizontal and vertical bars to confine the pigs.  During cold winters and sweltering summers, many pigs suffer from heatstroke, bone fractures, vomiting, or die from stress-induced shock. According to transport insurance claim statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, it is estimated that nearly 10,000 pigs die each year during transportation.

 

Since pigs must fast before transport to prevent vomiting, longer journeys mean an upwards of 24 hours without food. Open-air pig transport vehicles lack adequate coverings and are only protected by horizontal and vertical bars. In extreme weather, many pigs suffer from heatstroke, fractures, vomiting, and stress-related deaths. According to statistics from the MOA, it is estimated that nearly 10,000 pigs die during transport each year.

According to statistics from the Ministry of Agriculture, nearly 10,000 pigs die each year during transportation. However, the number of pigs that die from stress inside auction markets remains unrecorded and is a hidden figure with no official statistics.

 

 

Crowded live auctions increase the risk of disease transmission immensely.
Since meat markets in various counties and cities collect pigs from different farms across the country, thus greatly increasing the risk of spreading animal diseases. Long-distance and repeated transports are detrimental to disease prevention and control. 
 

After the auction, pigs are returned to holding pens where they wait to be slaughtered later that night or are transported to another slaughterhouse. According to the 2024 Meat Market Statistical Yearbook, 36% of pigs sold at auction are not killed at the same market but are instead transferred to other slaughterhouses. This results in multiple rounds of transport, increasing the risk of injury, stress, and transport-related accidents.

 

 

The live pig auction system severely abuses animals, violating the Animal Protection Act and animal welfare standards of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH). The MOA should take this issue seriously, conducting a thorough investigation and punish those responsible for animal cruelty!

 

Article 6 of the Animal Protection Act states, “One must not harass, abuse or injure any animal.” Article 10 further specifies prohibited actions toward animals, including: “Using excessive force or electric stunning to gather and drive animals, or causing harm when branding animals (with sharp tools) during their transport, auction or resting on the way to market/abattoir.”

The footage shows staff at the meat market using sticks and electric shocks to violently herd the pigs, repeatedly piercing the pigs' anuses with sharp objects, weighing pigs by suspending them from a single leg, dragging pigs by piercing their upper jaws or mouths with iron hooks, all of which violate Articles 6 and 10 of the Act. Depending on the severity of the animals' injuries, penalties could be imposed in accordance with Articles 25, 30, and 30-1, which can include a jail term. 

Evidence of severe animal abuse at the Yilan Meat Market: When pigs are unloaded from transport trucks into the holding area, some are already so stressed and exhausted that they are unable to walk. Shockingly, workers are seen weighing pigs (each weighing up to 100 kilograms) by suspending them from a single leg. The scene is filled with the terrified screams of pigs in extreme distress.

Evidence of severe animal abuse at the Yilan Meat Market: Workers were seen using metal hooks to lift distressed pigs by hooking their upper jaws or anuses. In some cases, the hooks even pierced through the pigs' mouths. The pigs were then dragged onto trucks while screaming in pain.

 

 

 

Countries such as in Europe, the United States, Japan, and South Korea have already phased out live auctions and adopted a scientifically sound, modern “carcass grading” system. Pigs are transported directly from farms to slaughterhouses, where their carcasses are measured using instruments to determine fat-to-lean meat ratios and muscle quality.

 

 After standardized grading, prices are set for transactions, ensuring basic animal welfare, disease prevention, and meat quality, while also improving the quality of pig farming. In contrast, Taiwan still relies on the visual inspection of meat merchants to determine prices, an outdated method that is neither scientific nor objective.

 

Government agencies should work together to end the backwards and barbaric methods of meat production, says Yu-Min Chen.

 

Regarding concerns from some operators that the carcass grading system could allow slaughterhouses and corporations to manipulate pork prices, Yu-Min Chen states that as long as the government establishes a transparent grading and pricing platform, allowing wholesalers to trade based on carcass quality data, this can be prevented. The data can also be a reflection of the dedication and technical expertise of pig farmers in their breeding management, thereby enhancing international competitiveness. 

 

For years, the MOA has commissioned scholars to establish grading standards for Taiwanese pig carcasses and the necessary instruments are already in place. The Ministry and local governments should no longer have any excuses to delay implementation.

 

On April 23rd, EAST launched an online petition to abolish live pig auctions, which has garnered nearly 10,000 signatures to date, indicating that many citizens care deeply about the welfare of farm animals.

During the auction process, pigs often become frightened and distressed due to the violent handling they receive. Many slip, collapse from exhaustion, or fall to the ground. In these cases, workers forcibly remove them using nose restraints or, in some instances, by hooking their upper jaws or anuses with metal hooks and dragging them away.

Taiwan’s live pig auction system is designed to force pigs to enter a narrow auction lane one at a time, allowing  meat merchants to observe their body condition and place bids. Controlled by gates along the passage, pigs are made to stop and go repeatedly. Often too frightened to move forward, they are subjected to electric shocks, beatings with sticks, or even painful jabs to the anus by workers in order to force them to continue.

 

 

翻譯：周芠
校對：姜怡如

2025／7／17