Actress and animal advocate Rooney Mara (“The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”) has said that nothing could have readied her for the horrific experience of witnessing the cruelty of factory farms first-hand.
“Nothing could have prepared me for what I was to feel, smell, and see with my own eyes when I went undercover on factory farms,” says Mara, who recently joined Animal Equality on an investigation inside two British farms to expose animal abuse within the meat industry.
A video narrated by Mara called “With My Own Eyes” reveals numerous distressing scenes of animal suffering, including over 3,000 pigs forced to live in dark and cramped conditions, with piglets just left to die having received no medical attention. On one of the farms, the video shows sows who had been forced into tiny crates, crushing their newborn babies, unable to move because of the lack of space.

Image Credit: Animal Equality
“Nothing prepares you for looking into the eyes of a mother pig whose life is to be impregnated and left in a cage until she’s slaughtered,” Mara says. “I can’t imagine how awful it must be to be literally trapped and crushing your own babies and not be able to do anything about it.”

Image Credit: Animal Equality
Video footage from another farm uncovered more than 50,000 chickens crowded into dark, dirty sheds. The birds are artificially reared to grow so big their organs don’t work properly, and their legs can’t function. Many of the birds were hurt and couldn’t move, unable to reach food or water. The chicken farm’s own records reportedly state that 1,936 birds died within the first seven weeks of their life. This averages a shocking 42 chicken deaths every day.

Image Credit: Animal Equality
More than a billion chickens and ten million pigs are killed for their meat every year in the UK, and over 90% of these animals are reared on factory farms, according to Animal Equality.
“We are deeply grateful to Rooney for joining us to expose the secretive meat industry and telling the heart-breaking stories of these pigs and chicken,” the organization said in a statement.
The more new EVIL exposed each & every day regarding cruelty to Animals, the more I KNOW we must rally & force the PSYCHOS to BAN their heinous methods — HOW do we STOP this horror against Animals? — solution : GO VEGAN — GO VEGAN — WHAT KIND of Society would allow such torturous suffering to Animals —- YET, there they are — continuing with their unconscionable, depraved torment to Animals — I want to hurl — again, GO VEGAN — GO VEGAN.
We need to let the public what really goes on on the farms this is wrong and inhuman what they are doing to this innocent animals
HOW do we STOP this horror against Animals? — solution : GO VEGAN — GO VEGAN — WHAT KIND of Society would allow such torturous suffering to Animals —- YET, there they are — continuing with their unconscionable, depraved torment to Animals — I want to hurl — again, GO VEGAN — GO VEGAN.
We need to let the public what really goes on on the farms this is wrong and inhuman what they are doing to this innocent animals
Beautiful kind actress.
Everyone needs to know what goes on behind the closed doors of ‘factory farms’ I’m sorry to say this but the majority of the ‘workers’ are NOTHING but glorified thugs in disguise and they ALL appear to enjoy inflicting as much abuse, torture, torment and cruelty onto all these innocent animals as they can. Its as though they just live and work in these places so they can satisfy and justify their wicked, vile, depraved perversions, only God knows how they treat their families and friends as I’m positive they act NO differently at home!!!!! Its even worse when these despicable ‘people’ are exposed and their so-called employers always say ‘we didn’t know this was happening, we don’t condone such treatment’ – what a load of BS, they knew and they are as guilty as their ‘workers’ as they stand and watch and DO NOTHING until the cruelty and brutality has been exposed. Karma to ALL these disgusting and sickening masses.
Meat companies need to remember, for every animal you abuse YOU will pay through your own children/family YOU will pay. KARMA
SADLY, humanity reaching new lows in the name of progress. More like greed, lack of empathy and disgrace.
Die VUILE , SMERIGE MASSA-INDUSTRIE IS EEN WARE SCHANDE VOOR DE MENSHEID !!!
90% of your meat is produced in such dreadful conditions that would not be condoned if people knew exactly what goes on! How can they know if if they are not shown- if the truth is hidden as being not very nice to watch? People deserve the truth! Stop treating them as delicate flowers!
seems like we are doomed with so much heartless, sadistic people doing things daily with not an ounce of remorse or feeling….
this will eventually transfer to people ….
seems like we are doomed with so much heartless, sadistic people doing things daily with not an ounce of remorse or feeling….
this will eventually transfer to people ….
PLEASE PLEASE, PEOPLE…PLEASE GO VEGAN…OR AT LEAST GO VEGETARIAN. I DID…30 YRS AGO…NEVER NEVER A REGRET!
Great work
This is precisely why I do not consume the flesh of others, haven’t for over 20 years. How can it ever be ok for the dietary choices of one species to subject other species to this kind of suffering? This is not ok, can never be ok.
We need to go vegan to stop this cruelty. It is not fair that these poor animals have to suffer to feed our greed for meat that we do not need.
These photos break my heart. I am a vegan and could never eat any animal, yes that includes fish, who many humans dismiss as having any feelings. Animals want what humans want, love and safety, and to take care of their young ones. Every animal on this Earth deserves freedom and a safe life.
Women like Rooney Mara and countless others are the new leaders the world needs. More women than men make comments here and on similar sites, because, let’s face it, more women care, or care more.
I, for one, rejoice in the prospect of sensitive women stirring our specie towards becoming more human, more heart-centered. The world desperately needs this on so many levels…the voice of women need to be heard and honored, at last.
Thank you Rooney for your courage. I can’t even look at pictures nevermind seeing it in real life. I knew your Aunt Denise from Pet Rescue in Harrison NY. Your family is kown for their love of animals. Keep up the good work
Well done Rooney Mara! We can only hope that climate change will drive us to a plant based diet and this cruelty will end. One wonders what our reaction would be if these practises were witnessed by us as taking place on another planet with an equally greedy and cruel species subjugating every other species to its own ends? All so it could eat too much food?
Well done Rooney Mara! We can only hope that climate change will drive us to a plant based diet and this cruelty will end. One wonders what our reaction would be if these practises were witnessed by us as taking place on another planet with an equally greedy and cruel species subjugating every other species to its own ends? All so it could eat too much food?
On of the greatest insults to the cause of animal rights, especially regarding farm animals, are the so-called “animal communicators” who postulate, under the guise of “spirituality” (that’s obviously fake spirituality in their case), that farm animals give their lives willingly so we, humans, may live.
First, it is absolutely unnecessary to eat animal flesh to live, unless you are living on the ice in the polar region.
Furthermore, I have yet to see a cow hitchhike to a slaughterhouse and demand to be transformed into hamburger so humans may live. All creatures fight for the lives when threatened, the will to live is present in all, including insects and viruses.
There is nothing worse than propagating lies in a spiritual wrapping.
Thank you for posting this and reminding everyone that the issue of horrific animal abuse is not limited to our favorite pets or the wildlife, because it is happening to billions of so-called farm animals worldwide.
I might be wrong, but I would be willing to bet that this article will get far fewer responses that one would about a dog being beaten, because too many people still think with their stomachs when it comes to farm animals.
I personally think that a person cannot call himself or herself loving and compassionate when unmoved, by these facts about the meat “industry”, to become vegetarian or vegan.
I am also quite amazed that the great majority of meat eaters still do not understand that eating the flesh of an animal that has essentially been tortured all its life causes one to absorb very bad energies…energies of fear and suffering, and that these energies become our own. The lack of sensitivity and understanding in this regard as well is mind boggling!
Oh my goodness, Raphael, that is one of the most profound statements I’ve ever read and absorbed! How succinctly you put this. Most don’t think of the negative energy they are putting in their bodies! It’s no wonder that so many people are filled with fear and anxiety and so mentally screwed up. I never connected the dots before I read Your letter. It makes perfect sense. People don’t need psychiatrist they just have to stop eating tortured animal body parts. Well done Raphael!
Thank you so much Mimi!
I became a vegetarian in 1981 & then a vegan in 1997; for years, I’ve tried to tell my friends & family members exactly what you are saying here Raphael. I used to think that most of these people just didn’t get it…but you’re absolutely right…they don’t WANT to face the reality of their selfish, brutal choices. A few do…a former coworker, just recently went vegan & she wrote to me apologizing that she didn’t think she was always that nice to me when we worked together, but now that she no longer consumes the horrifying energy of tortured animals, she feels a tremendous amount of negativity has been lifted from her emotionally.
It’s great to hear Audriana…even when animals aren’t tortured (as on so-called “free range” farms), they still die in fear and pain. Beside this, I believe eating meat also makes people more aggressive. Centuries ago in Europe, criminals were put on a bread and water diet for a while, a semi-fast…in Asia it was rice and water. Meat eating people Like Native Americans who wanted to clear their minds for spiritual or other reasons fasted often, usually 4 days.
It seems that today humanity has forgotten the negative effects eating meat has on the mind and the emotions (not to mention the animals themselves!).
I understood when I was 17 that I could never kill an animal to eat it, which made me choose to be vegetarian, then vegan (macrobiotic) and now vegetarian again with very limited amounts of dairy (goat cheese and goat kefir). I could never go back to eating the flesh of any animal. I love animals too much, and respect life too much to ever do this. And I can always tell a vegetarian or vegan person by their energy…lighter, more clear, sensitive. and balanced. Meat eaters have a heavy, dense, opaque, more chaotic and aggressive energy.
Thanku. Animals need to be treated more humanely. 🐷🐖🐽🦃🐔🐓🐣🐤🐥
Your very welcome, would love to stay in touch and send u my email
I haven’t eaten meat for over 18 years and never will again. I have never been healthier and my diet has expanded ten fold. And it makes me feel a litle beter that at least no animal has to suffer and die because of me. I strongly beleive that if everyone saw and heard what conditions are like in the factory farming industry there would be many more people switching to vegetarian and vegan lifestyles and being much more outspoken about the abuse of animals.
Thank you for this comment! Unfortunately, most people do not have the moral courage to look at the consequences of their choices…whether it is eating animal flesh or buying a product made overseas in a sweatshop, prison or by slave labor. Living irresponsibly has become the norm, because our current systems of production and trade have completely separated us from the source of what we consume, and made it not just extremely convenient for the providers of consumer goods to hide their manufacturing practices, but almost inevitable for us to be like children, irresponsible, to the point that one has to make a conscious effort and go against the grain to be properly informed.
Thank you Rooney Mara, for having the courage to witness the cruel business of factory farming first hand. Like you, it breaks my heart to see innocent, intelligent animals suffer at the hands of cruel human beings. Workers, who have somehow lost their ability to show any compassion- their hearts have become hardened and diseased, and these precious animals are the targets of the hatred that lives inside them. It’s a very sad commentary on our society.