Holly PhillipsEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Animal Justice ProjectA third pig farm faces allegations of animal cruelty after footage emerged appearing to show workers slamming piglets against concrete floors.
The group Animal Justice Project (AJP) said it secretly filmed employees at Mere Farm, Barton upon Humber, North Lincolnshire, which is run by Hull-based food supplier Cranswick.
In the videos, workers can apparently be seen engaging in “piglet-thumping” – an illegal practice involving piglets being killed through blunt force trauma.
The BBC has contacted Cranswick for a response to the claims.
The allegations follow investigations into two other Lincolnshire pig farms run by Cranswick, one of the UK’s largest pork producers.
In May, the supplier suspended operations at Northmoor Farm near Market Rasen after footage emerged which appeared to show workers abusing piglets.
In August, Somerby Top Farm, Barnetby, was hit by claims of animal cruelty, prompting supermarket chains Asda and Tesco to suspend meat supplies.
Cranswick released a statement following the abuse claims at Somerby Top Farm.
A spokesperson for the company said: “The health and welfare of our pigs is our highest priority and we were horrified to see this unacceptable [historical] footage.”
The spokesperson added: “We find the treatment of the pigs in the footage distressing to watch and we apologise unreservedly for this lapse in our standards. It does not in any way reflect the operating practices at our farms today.
The firm said, since May, it has replaced managers, dismissed staff, hired welfare officers, retrained workers, and is installing AI enabled CCTV to improve animal care and oversight.
Animal Justice ProjectDisturbing footage filmed by AJP at Mere Farm is reported to show nine piglets seemingly being killed through blunt force trauma, with some left moving and gasping for more than 20 minutes after impact.
AJP said they found injured piglets, which were left untreated, and one piglet with a ruptured eyeball was ignored for at least two days.
Campaigners also claimed workers beat, kicked and stabbed a sow with a metal shovel before dragging her with ropes and wires to make her stand.
In addition, the welfare group alleged that dead piglets were not removed and workers were filmed saying, “I’d expect this to be dead” and “think she’s gonna die anyway, let her… die”.
Other welfare concerns highlighted by the group included necrosis, cannibalism, ruptured eyeballs, diarrhoea, bitten ears and tails, and open wounds.
According to AJP, the abuse happened just days after Cranswick announced on 28 July it had banned piglet thumping across all of its farms.
Piglet-thumping is banned under UK law.
Animal Justice ProjectClaire Palmer, director of AJP, said: “Consumers are tired of being misled by companies hiding behind hollow ‘high welfare’ claims.”
She added: “Pig farming is a broken system that cannot be patched up. It must end.
“The public deserves a food system built on compassion, honesty and transparency, one that is entirely plant-based.”
AJP said it had reported the findings to Trading Standards and the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA).
The group is calling on Angela Eagle, the minister for food security and rural affairs, to remove Cranswick’s non-executive chair, Tim Smith, from his position on the food strategy and advisory board and as co-chair of the food and drink sector council.
