“Hell on Wheels” Pig Truck Hits the Road for First UK Tour – Urges Everyone to Leave Pigs in Peace
The “Hell on Wheels” truck is hitting the road in the UK! The drive-by campaign is confronting passersby with images of pigs bound for slaughter and the sound of their terrified, panicked screams at a slaughterhouse. It’s a harrowing reminder that these sensitive individuals suffer horrifically when the meat industry raises and kills them for their flesh.
“Hell on Wheels” will be making pitstops near restaurants, theme parks, and city centres in England, Wales, Ireland and Scotland. The truck is packed with free leaflets that highlight interesting facts about pigs and how you can help them. We’re inviting everyone to rethink their diet, so they no longer contribute to the nightmarish journeys to death endured by millions of sentient beings.
2026’s Truck Tour
Leave Pigs in Peace
Pigs are highly intelligent animals who have complex problem-solving skills and remarkable memories. These curious, social animals love to spend time with their loved ones, play games, bask in the sun, and explore the world around them. Like all our fellow animals, pigs can feel pain and fear—yet the meat industry violently slaughters about 10 million of them every year in the UK alone.
On farms—even ones deceptively labelled as “humane” or “organic”—these outgoing, playful individuals often spend their entire lives in cramped, filthy warehouses, where they can’t make nests for their babies, meaningfully socialise with others, or roll around in the mud.
From Gestation Crates to Hell’s Gate
In the UK meat industry, many mother pigs are repeatedly artificially inseminated and confined for weeks at a time in farrowing crates so small they can’t even turn around. Once their bodies are worn out, they’re sent to slaughter.
Piglets are taken from their mothers shortly after birth and commonly subjected to painful mutilations such as tail docking and teeth clipping, often without pain relief. Many spend their short lives in crowded indoor pens on hard, slatted floors designed to channel waste away beneath them.
The Highway to Hell
On transport trucks in the UK, pigs often endure long, stressful journeys on their way to slaughterhouses. They can be transported for hours across the country in extreme heat or cold, packed tightly with little protection from the elements. Many arrive at slaughterhouses exhausted, injured, or severely weakened—some collapsing from heat stress, exposure, or the sheer physical strain of transport.
‘Humane Meat’ Is a Myth
No matter what a misleading label claims, there is no humane way to exploit and kill someone who doesn’t want to die. In the UK, pigs are transported to slaughterhouses, where most are lowered into chambers filled with high‑concentration carbon dioxide gas, while others are electrically stunned before their throats are cut. Their bodies are then submerged in scalding‑hot water to remove their hair. When stunning fails, some pigs can be scalded while still conscious and able to feel pain.
Here’s How YOU Can Help Pigs
Every animal is someone with their own interests and needs. By going vegan, you can spare nearly 200 animals per year, help protect the environment, and improve your own health. Making the compassionate switch is easier than ever—and PETA will even help you do it. Check out our favourite vegan bacon and ham brands, and order our free vegan starter kit, which includes delicious vegan recipes, tips for eating out, and more:
Help Animals in 2026: Renew Your PETA Membership!
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