Holly PhillipsEast Yorkshire and Lincolnshire
Animal Justice Project
Animals at Mere Farm, Barton upon Humber, were found to have open wounds, cuts and scratches, according to AJP
A 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” – a practice involving piglets being killed through blunt force trauma.
Cranswick said it was “deeply disappointed” by the footage and said the behaviour depicted was “wholly unacceptable” and had taken action to dismiss the individuals involved.
Disturbing 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, according to AJP.
The organisation also said they found injured piglets, which were left untreated, and claimed one piglet with a ruptured eyeball was ignored for at least two days.
Campaigners also said 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.
This followed 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.
Animal Justice Project
Staff spent an average of just 3.9 seconds carrying out welfare checks on each sow, AJP said
In a statement, a spokesperson for Cranswick said they were “deeply disappointed and frustrated by the covert footage captured”.
“The behaviour depicted is wholly unacceptable and clearly breaches the values, standards and animal welfare practices that we uphold across our business.
“Much of the material appears to pre-date the significant reforms we have been implementing — including the complete overhaul of our livestock handling policies and extensive, independently-led retraining for our employees.”
They added they were “continuously working” to improve on-farm standards and culture and investing in surveillance technology.
“This programme is ongoing and subject to continuous review and improvement.
“Despite these efforts, it is clear that a small number of individuals have failed to follow our strict animal welfare protocols, even after retraining. This constitutes a serious breach of our standards.
“As a result, those individuals have been immediately dismissed and we will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities to support further investigations.”
Animal Justice Project
Almost 200 sows were confined in farrowing crates inside sheds thick with dust and crawling with flies, AJP said
Claire 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), however Cranswick said both had conducted unannounced audits of the site earlier this month and “no concerns” were raised.
AJP 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.
