Secret photos and videos of animals being abused on farms has been a standard tactic used by animal rights and welfare groups. The latest shock comes from the Excelsior hog farm near Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada.  Reader discretion is advised.

Camera footage captured workers shocking pigs in the face with electric prods, repeatedly hitting and kicking the animals, and cutting off the tails and testicles of screaming piglets with no pain relief. It also showed mother pigs languishing in gestation crates next to dead and dying piglets, as well as older pigs with hernias, tumors, and various lacerations.

Outraged after viewing the video, 50 animal rights activists recently stormed the breeding room with iPhones in hand, then broadcast their sit-in over Instagram Live for the next seven hours. It was the first time anyone had done this kind of thing in Canada. When they arrived, the sight of hundreds of sows confined to filthy gestation crates—metal cages too small for them to turn or scratch themselves—made for grim viewing.

Many are shocked to find out that Excelsior wasn’t breaking any laws, but storming the hog farm to protest and broadcast was. Consequently, several activists were convicted of breaking and entering and mischief. Don’t expect things to change.  There isn’t any independent oversight—no cameras or third-party inspections—to ensure even the most basic standards of animal welfare are met. However, there is something we can do. They’ll stop raising pigs when people stop eating them. Following a plant-based diet can have a powerful effect.

While we can’t condone law breaking, these activists just made our list of true heroes.