Activists release video they say shows abuse of lambs at Denver slaughterhouse
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An arial image of lambs unloading at the Superior Farms plant in Denver. Photo: Courtesy of Direct Action Everywhere
Editor's note: The video linked in this story contains graphic images.
An animal rights group released a video on Wednesday it says shows animal abuse at Superior Farms in Denver and incidents that some legal experts argue violate animal cruelty and humane slaughter laws.
Why it matters: Superior Farms — Denver's only slaughterhouse, owned by the nation's largest lamb producer — is the target of a local ballot measure, Ordinance 309, to ban slaughterhouses in Denver, starting in 2026.
What they did: The undercover video investigation was conducted anonymously by Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) activists who say they shot the video using hidden cameras over several weeks in July and August.
- Their findings were included in a report Wednesday by the Animal Activist Legal Defense Project, a program at the University of Denver's Sturm College of Law.
What they found: The nearly three-minute video shows lambs being improperly stunned, leaving them thrashing and appearing to breathe even after their throats were slit, according to the AALDP. The group claims this violates the federal Humane Methods of Slaughter Act, which requires animals be "rendered insensible to pain" before slaughter.
- In one instance, the video shows a lamb with a broken leg left on the slaughter line instead of being immediately euthanized, violating guidelines from the American Veterinary Medical Association.
- The video also shows workers were observed beating, kicking and throwing animals while failing to treat or euthanize those with serious injuries — actions the AALDP says violate both state laws and industry standards.
Zoom in: The AALDP says the footage also raises questions about the facility's claim that all meat is "certified halal." The AALDP alleges some workers were using a two-cut method to slaughter animals, despite halal rules that call for a single, swift cut to the neck.
What they're saying: "The footage I've seen exposes the lie that there was no illegal activity at this slaughterhouse," Justin Marceau, a law professor at the University of Denver and faculty director of the AALDP, said at a news briefing Wednesday.
Zoom out: Superior Farms' other location, in Dixon, California, was the subject of a separate undercover investigation in 2017 that revealed similar findings. It resulted in a fine and the company entered a consent decree with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to "reform its killing practices."
The other side: In a statement, Superior Farms spokesperson Bob Mariano tells Axios Denver, "Nothing included in the footage we have seen is evidence of extreme violence, animal cruelty, or halal violations."
- This is an "example of proponents of the slaughterhouse ban misunderstanding or misrepresenting standard, legally compliant parts of the slaughter process in an attempt to shock voters and influence an election."
- "By trespassing in an active food production facility to plant hidden cameras, these activists violated multiple biosecurity and food safety protocols and put the health of our customers and workers at risk," he adds.
"In general, that's what you can expect to see in a slaughterhouse," Eric Davis, a professor at the University of California, Davis, School of Veterinary Medicine, told the Intercept after reviewing a video reel shared before the report's public release.
- "This one is on the edge of badness, but it's not going to be that much better if it's running well," Davis added.
Opponents of Ordinance 309, including Denver's mayor and the Colorado livestock industry, say the ban would hurt businesses, strip more than 150 employees of their jobs and benefits, weaken the local economy and raise food prices.
- Some notable Denver chefs, like Jose Avila at La Diabla, have also spoken out against the measure on the grounds it will make the city's food supply chain less sustainable by forcing kitchens to source ingredients farther away.
Context: Superior Farms has been in Denver's Globeville neighborhood for over 70 years. It slaughters roughly 300,000 lambs annually and sells to retail giants like Walmart and Kroger.
- The facility accounts for 15-20% of the total lamb slaughter capacity in the U.S., according to an April study from researchers at Colorado State University.
Flashback: Last month, the Denver slaughterhouse was fined nearly $120,000 by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency for alleged violations of toxic chemical-related regulations under the Clean Air Act.
What's next: The AALDP said Wednesday they will refer the matter to the Denver District Attorney's Office.
- Denver voters will weigh in on Ordinance 309 on Nov. 5 and decide whether to ban the construction, maintenance and use of slaughterhouses in the city.