An undercover investigation by Direct Action Everywhere activists has revealed horrific violence and unlawful animal cruelty at the nation’s largest supplier of lamb meat, Superior Farms, in Denver, Colorado. This slaughterhouse would be banned if Denver voters approve Ordinance 309, a slaughterhouse ban on the November ballot.

Superior Farms claims that their Denver slaughterhouse is "humane" and “halal-certified” but hours upon hours of video footage shows that the company has been lying to consumers.

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Horrific Violence Against Animals and Unlawful Animal Abuse at Denver Slaughterhouse Captured on Camera

The undercover footage taken inside the Denver slaughterhouse between July and August 2024 reveals harrowing scenes of terror and desperation. In the video, lambs struggle to escape while workers violently grab their wool and slam them towards the slaughter line. Hidden cameras and drone footage captured: 

• Frightened lambs getting kicked and hit with paddles
• Lambs grabbed by their ears and tails and violently slammed to the floor
• Animals with broken legs forcibly dragged up a ramp to the electric stunner
• Workers laughing, spanking animals, and engaging in simulated sex acts as lambs are having their throats slit
• Lambs gasping for breath, lifting their heads, and thrashing in agony after their having their throats cut multiple times

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Adult Sheep Are Used to Lure Baby Sheep to the Kill Floor – Exploiting Their Trust Only to Betray Them

‍In several haunting clips, we see so-called “Judas Sheep,” trained adult animals that live at Superior Farms and who are used to gain the lambs' trust and lure them to their violent end. In heartbreaking footage from inside Superior Farms, workers show affection to the "Judas Sheep," feeding them treats, brushing and petting them, and responding to them as they nuzzle like dogs– all while dozens of other lambs are seen following them to the kill floor.

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Violations of Halal Slaughter Protocol

Perhaps most disturbingly, hundreds of lambs at the Denver slaughterhouse were documented lifting their heads after being slaughtered, signifying a catastrophic failure in the stunning process. According to the USDA’s Guide to Humane Handling, while some body movement post-slaughter is normal, a properly stunned lamb should have a limp head, with no signs of trying to lift it. This suggests that many lambs at Superior Farms remain conscious through the process, suffering as their throats are sawed open.

The heartbreaking footage even shows supervisors performing a ‘consciousness-check’ on lambs whose throats have been slit, then failing to take action when lambs show clear signs of consciousness. The USDA considers this negligence to be a case of “egregious inhumane treatment.”

This egregious failure in ostensibly “humane” slaughter practices is compounded by multiple violations of Halal principles, in which multiple cutting attempts are made instead of the required single, swift cut. This means the animals feel repeated painful cuts at their neck as they hang upside down and start bleeding to death.
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This Violence Extends Beyond Superior Farms' Denver Facility

The violence that these lambs endure extends beyond the walls of the Denver slaughterhouse. Many of these lambs come from Cactus Hill, one of Colorado's largest lamb feedlots located in Windsor, just 53 miles north of Superior Farms. Here, tens of thousands of lambs are tightly packed together in a lot full of manure, exposed to extreme heat and cold, and fed an unnatural diet of soy and corn. 

For years, whistleblowers have repeatedly documented lambs arriving at Superior Farms suffering from prolapsed organs, a condition where internal organs protrude outside the body due to extreme stress and malnutrition. Direct Action Everywhere’s recent investigation confirms that not only are uterine prolapses common at Superior Farms, but these sick lambs are sent down the slaughter line just like the others. This intense suffering is a far cry from the idyllic image the industry wants us to believe.

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Humanewashing

These findings not only reveal shocking violence and unlawful animal cruelty happening at the Denver slaughterhouse, they also cast doubt on Superior Farms' professed commitment to animal welfare. A Superior Farms representative recently claimed that the facility has a “constant USDA inspector on-site,” and that the plant “performed well” on a recent animal welfare audit. If this is what animal welfare looks like, we need urgent change.

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Attention Denver Voters: Please Vote YES on Ordinance 309 to Ban Industrial Slaughterhouses in Denver

DxE’s newest investigation couldn’t have happened at a more important time. As Denver residents learn about the extreme violence hidden behind the walls of Superior Farms slaughterhouse, they have an opportunity to take action to stop it.

By voting YES on Denver Initiated Ordinance 309, citizens can ban industrial slaughterhouses within Denver city limits, effectively shutting down this disturbing facility and preventing such cruelty from ever happening in Denver. This vote is a crucial step towards reducing animal suffering and holding this industry accountable for its inhumane practices.

Read more about Denver's Ordinance 309 from the Denver Post, Westword, Responsible Food Business, and Fair Ag Council.