As the largest supplier of pork to UK supermarkets, the multi-billion pound operation Cranswick is keen to boast of its ‘considerate farming’ credentials.
Its website features charming images of piglets happily grazing in verdant fields, next to the reassuring headline ‘Farming with conscience’.
Yet the reality – at one of its farms at least – is horrifically different, The Mail on Sunday can reveal. Secret recordings obtained exclusively by this newspaper show a horrific catalogue of animal abuse carried out by sadistic workers.
In one sickening scene, a farm worker grabs a squealing piglet by its hind legs, swings the terrified animal high above his head and smashes it down brutally on to the hard floor.
Other harrowing footage shows helpless sows being kicked and beaten with metal bars, as well as distressing botched killings which left animals writhing in agony.
After one worker failed to kill a sow with several shots from a bolt gun, he told the undercover investigator: ‘Don’t let nobody see you doing like what we did [sic].’
Other damning footage covertly filmed over several weeks at Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire, shows:
- Pigs being scratched, kneed, jabbed and piglets being hoisted by their ears then dropped on to hard floors;
- One decomposing sow carcass left for days while another was hit repeatedly with a metal slat by a worker shouting ‘bitch’;
- Piglets had their teeth brutally ground down and had their tails savagely cut – a practice called ‘docking’ which Cranswick says it avoids;
- Farm staff claiming one worker was ‘drop-kicking’ piglets and separately that ‘everyone kicks piglets’.
After being alerted to the abuse, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Morrisons said they had suspended their supplies from the farm.
Secret recordings obtained exclusively by this newspaper show a horrific catalogue of animal abuse carried out by sadistic workers
In one sickening scene, a farm worker grabs a squealing piglet by its hind legs, swings the terrified animal high above his head and smashes it down brutally on to the hard floor
Other harrowing footage shows distressing botched killings which left animals writhing in agony
Around 6,000 pigs are permanently confined inside cramped conditions there, with no access to the outdoors – and certainly not to the green fields and spacious pig pens pictured on Cranswick’s website. Here they are reared, sometimes without ever seeing daylight, until they are taken to an abattoir.
The farm’s parent company, Cranswick, sends more than 34,000 pigs to slaughter each week and generated £146 million revenue from fresh pork last year.
It markets its meat as ‘high welfare’ and ‘sustainable’ and its website states: ‘Animal welfare is at the heart of our business.’ But the footage, recorded by an investigator wearing hidden cameras, shows repeated examples of farm workers killing piglets by smashing them against hard floors and walls.
This banned method of killing is called ‘piglet thumping’ and is a criminal offence. Piglets are killed if they are the runts of the litter – weak, sick or not growing fast enough to be profitable. It is thought they are then incinerated or used for pet food.
Eight thumpings were caught on camera during the course of the investigation. These were carried out by three members of staff as well as the farm manager, and one piglet was seen gasping for breath even after it had been violently thumped.
The use of blunt force trauma on piglets was outlawed in 2022 after repeated warnings from the UK’s Animal Welfare Committee and the EU’s Reference Centre for Animal Welfare. Both identified the method as unreliable, inhumane, and unnecessary given available alternatives, including shotguns and captive bolt guns.
Yet Northmoor’s manager, Andrew Pentecost, 39, was recorded killing a piglet by thumping it against concrete.
Moments after he slammed the piglet, he told the undercover investigator: ‘With small piglets we can do blunt force trauma to kill them… But the big ones we can’t do that with ‘cos they’re too f***ing heavy.’
On its website, Cranswick Farming portrays an idyllic public image, but the reality – at one of its farms at least – is horrifically different
Pictured: Northmoor Farm, where Cranswick’s workers have been beating piglets to death
The horrific abuse has been caught after being recorded by an investigator wearing hidden cameras
Piglets are killed if they are the runts of the litter – weak, sick or not growing fast enough to be profitable – it is thought they are then incinerated or used for pet food
Northmoor’s manager Andrew Pentecost was filmed botching the killing of a sow by not restraining her properly, leaving the animal screaming and writhing in agony
He was also filmed botching the killing of a sow by not restraining her properly, leaving the animal screaming and writhing in agony after it had been shot until she was shot a second time, 22 seconds later.
When the MoS approached Mr Pentecost for comment at his home in Scunthorpe, he denied piglet thumping went on at the farm.
The married father-of-three said: ‘I have nothing to say about it. I am not aware of anything like that going on at the farm. I would not condone any behaviour like that. We have procedures to follow.’
One staff member at the farm was also filmed shouting at a sow and repeatedly calling her a ‘bitch’ as he hit her in the face with a metal slat multiple times. Another admitted that a different staff member had been caught ‘drop-kicking’ the piglets.
The site overseer was recorded slamming a piglet against the ground and telling the undercover investigator: ‘It’s quicker, you know… when they’re small like that you can do it.’
With grim irony, a sign on a staff notice board reads: ‘Don’t go home until you have resolved any issue you wouldn’t want to see in the media tomorrow.’
Experts and MPs condemned the videos as ‘sickening’ and ‘horrific’ and called for Cranswick to be investigated.
Legal action has also been launched on behalf of Animal Justice Project, the animal rights group behind the investigation, citing multiple breaches of animal welfare and consumer law at the farm, which could lead to a criminal investigation.
When the MoS approached Mr Pentecost (above) for comment at his home in Scunthorpe, he denied piglet thumping went on at the farm
The married father-of-three (above) said: ‘I have nothing to say about it. I am not aware of anything like that going on at the farm. I would not condone any behaviour like that. We have procedures to follow’
Experts and MPs condemned the videos as ‘sickening’ and ‘horrific’ and called for Cranswick to be investigated
Last night, the group’s barrister Ayesha Smart filed a formal complaint to Trading Standards, writing that the footage of Northmoor shows ‘what is clearly a failure to act in accordance with the law’.
She said: ‘The use of blunt force trauma to kill piglets is banned –yet it appears to be used routinely and without restraint. This isn’t just shocking, it’s unlawful.’
And the group’s founder, Claire Palmer, added: ‘This marks the start of a national, sustained campaign to expose the violent realities of pig farming in Britain. We will not be pulling any punches
‘We are demanding immediate enforcement of the ban on blunt force trauma and the prosecution of Cranswick. There must be an independent public inquiry into pig farming practices and regulatory failures.
‘Ultimately, we’re calling for a legislative phase-out of pig farming in favour of a food system that no longer depends on animal suffering.’
Responding to the findings, Cranswick said it had ordered an urgent investigation and had suspended the farm staff.
A spokesman said: ‘The welfare of the animals we rear is of the utmost importance and we are extremely disappointed to see the unacceptable lapse of welfare standards captured at Northmoor Farm.
‘As soon as we saw the footage we suspended the team working at the farm and we are conducting an urgent and thorough investigation. We have also suspended the farm from supplying any pigs until the investigation is completed.’
Northmoor farm, Lincoln, have been mistreating and killing pigs and piglets
In the footage, the pigs are visibly terrified as workers at the farm are captured aggressively kicking the metal bars of their pen
Dr Alick Simmons, the government’s former deputy chief veterinary officer, said the footage shows ‘repeated and ineffective attempts to kill piglets using blunt force trauma’.
He added: ‘That such practices are taking place on a large, commercial farm highlights a serious failure in training, management and oversight.
‘This is unacceptable, particularly when a humane and legally acceptable alternative exists. It causes significant suffering and has no place in modern farming.’
The farm is approved by Red Tractor, a quality mark which is meant to ensure rigorous standards of animal welfare.
This means supermarket shoppers buying bacon, sausages and ham which came from Northmoor will see the Red Tractor Union Jack stamp and the words ‘Certified Pork’ on the packaging – trusting that their meat has been humanely reared.
Approached for comment by the MoS, Red Tractor said it would immediately suspend the farm’s certificate pending investigation.
Cranswick is a £2.8 billion company that recently signed a ten-year deal to supply all of Sainsbury’s British pork and is also a supplier to Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and others.The company recorded pre-tax profits of £176 million last year and its chief executive, Adam Couch, was paid £3.3 million.
Today’s bombshell revelations are the second recent blow for the company after its plans for a controversial mega farm in Norfolk were rejected last month over environmental concerns.
Images from Cranswick Farming’s website appear to show a perfect state of affairs for the animals
Piglets on the website are portayed to have a great life on Cranswick’s farms, yet the shocking footage shows that on at least one of its farms, this is not the case
A statement on Cranswick’s website reads that they are ‘committed to mantaining high welfare standards’
The farm was due to house up to 870,000 chickens and 14,000 pigs over two sites but received nearly 15,000 complaints. It was eventually blocked by councillors following fears from residents it would give out foul odours including ammonia fumes, attract swarms of flies and result in thousands of lorries driving past homes.
But today’s revelations are likely to prove even more problematic for the compamy, with MPs of all stripes lining up to condem the abuse caught on camera.
Former Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron said he would be tabling a written question in Parliament this week to ask the Government what it intends to do to ‘clamp down on this illegal and barbaric practice’ of thumping.
He added: ‘I am absolutely horrified by the video footage unearthed by The Mail on Sunday which shows piglet slamming. The fact that this inhumane practice is happening in this country, where we rightly pride ourselves as having the best animal welfare standards in the world, is sickening.’
Green Party co-leader Adrian Ramsay said: ‘The footage from Northmoor Farm is truly sickening. This blatant and disgusting abuse shows disregard for the welfare of these animals and the law.
‘The revolting practice of piglet slamming was outlawed in 2022. Time and time again, government has failed to enforce humane standards through proper spot checks and adequately rigorous prosecution.’
Sir Roger Gale MP, patron of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, said: ‘The scenes shown in this footage are deeply disturbing and raise serious concerns about the standards being maintained on a farm certified by Red Tractor.
‘The public deserves confidence that the food they buy is produced with care and in accordance with proper welfare standards.’
Cranswick, on a page titles ‘Our Farming Expertise’ says it is ‘proud of our heritage and excited by our future’
They add that they are ‘Empowering and supporting our farmers to do the right thing. For themselves. For the animals. For the planet.’
Labour’s Irene Campbell said she was ‘appalled to hear of this horrific abuse’, while fellow Labour MP Terry Jermy, who opposed Cranswick’s megafarm, said: ‘I am deeply concerned to learn of these incidents which follow similar horrifying examples of animal cruelty at other locations.
‘We have to do more to uphold animal welfare standards which consumers expect and also improve upon those standards.’
Supermarkets also condemned the horrific scenes caught by the undercover investigator.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘These allegations involve unacceptable treatment of animals, which has no place in our supply chain.’
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We take all reports of poor animal welfare extremely seriously and expect our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards.’
A Morrisons spokesman said: ‘We care deeply about animal welfare and these are shocking and concerning allegations.’
And Asda said: ‘We have clear animal welfare policies that all our suppliers must uphold and we welcome the swift response and action taken by Cranswick at this farm.’
The squalid, cramped conditions filmed there are a far cry from the bucolic photographs on Cranswick’s website showing pigs and piglets roaming around in green, sunny fields dotted with traditional pig huts.
A Sainsbury’s spokesman said: ‘These allegations involve unacceptable treatment of animals, which has no place in our supply chain’ (Stock Image)
A Tesco spokesman said: ‘We take all reports of poor animal welfare extremely seriously and expect our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards’ (Stock Image)
A Morrisons spokesman said: ‘We care deeply about animal welfare and these are shocking and concerning allegations’ (Stock Image)
And Asda said: ‘We have clear animal welfare policies that all our suppliers must uphold and we welcome the swift response and action taken by Cranswick at this farm’ (Stock Image)
While Cranswick has a number of outdoor farms, its company policy states that it has a ‘moral and ethical responsibility’ to all animals in its supply chain.
It issues its ‘Cranswick Pig Standard’ to all suppliers which recognise the animals as ‘sentient beings’ and requires them to have ‘freedom to undergo positive emotional experiences’.
The company also has key commitments of avoiding confinement for pigs and avoiding teeth grinding and tail docking – all of which were captured taking place at Northmoor Farm.
CEO Adam Couch has spoken extensively about the importance of animal welfare and in 2019, after Cranswick won a major animal welfare award, said: ‘Farm animal welfare is a cause that is close to our and our customers’ hearts and therefore we have made it a priority for our business with an unstinting focus on driving up standards.’
