“One pig is left to be cannibalised over a period of days, until he eventually dies from his injuries; it is not possible that a competent worker could miss the blood, screaming and clear discomfort. Cranswick claims to have a strong commitment to high standards of farm animal welfare, yet this is just one of many horrors exposed under their name.”
George Monbiot, the environmentalist author and campaigner, also watched the footage. He said: “Animal Justice Project’s latest exposé at Somerby Top farm reveals another Cranswick facility where extreme suffering is the norm.
“It’s beyond comprehension; I have never seen so many pigs in such an appalling state. This is another example of why pig farming must urgently be phased out. Yet again, we call for action to be taken by the government.”
The investigation gathered evidence of a litany of failures at the farm. Piglets deemed unfit for transport were loaded and removed from the site, in breach of government transport guidelines and the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007.
Sick, lame, and injured pigs were subjected to brutal handling by Cranswick staff and the farm manager. This included beating, kicking, and dragging during loading for slaughter – clearly breaching animal welfare laws.
Welfare
During loading, piglets were violently struck with boards, paddles, and hands – targeting sensitive areas such as the face, eyes, snout, and testes. One piglet was hit 13 times in quick succession with the edge of a board. Boards were also dropped from height onto their backs and spines.
Captive bolt guns were used to kill vulnerable pigs on-site, yet some were inadequately stunned and left to die, constituting a breach of humane slaughter regulations.
Workers carried out superficial checks – walking past pens and merely glancing at animals. One observed inspection of a thousand pigs lasted just 90 seconds. Only one check was conducted per day, with visible injuries and suffering routinely ignored.
Pigs were kept under constant artificial lighting for up to 50 hours at a time, in violation of rules requiring periods of darkness for animal welfare.
This exposé follows a previous Animal Justice Project investigation into Northmoor Farm, a Cranswick breeding unit where piglets were filmed being slammed onto concrete. That footage sparked national outrage, the sacking of staff, a drop in Cranswick’s share price, and a ‘review into animal welfare policies’.
Accountability
Pigs born at Northmoor are transported to Somerby Top for fattening, before being sent to Cranswick’s slaughterhouses in Hull and Norfolk. Cranswick’s Hull slaughterhouse currently kills 35,000 pigs each week, with the company investing £35 million to expand its capacity to 50,000.
The pigs are killed in CO₂ gas chambers, a method widely condemned by welfare experts for causing prolonged suffering and panic.
The abattoirs supply supermarkets Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s as well as Marks and Spencer.
These revelations come as DEFRA figures confirm 10.1 million pigs were slaughtered in the UK in 2024, with 90 per cent factory farmed and 95 per cent certified by Red Tractor.
The investigation raises urgent questions about Red Tractor’s auditing, retailer accountability, and potential criminal breaches by Cranswick staff and contractors.
Right of Reply
A spokesperson for Cranswick Country Foods said: “The health and welfare of our pigs is our highest priority and we were horrified to see this unacceptable historic footage, filmed at Somerby Top farm. We find the treatment of the pigs in the footage distressing to watch and we apologise unreservedly for this lapse in our standards.
“Since May, we have been implementing major changes across all of our farming businesses to address the challenges raised within the footage. We have changed the management team at these farms and staff shown in the footage no longer work for the business. We have recruited five new full time welfare officers.
“All of our farm colleagues have been retrained in livestock handling, with a strong focus on animal health and welfare. We are currently installing AI enabled CCTV at all of our indoor farms to enable us to monitor the health of our pigs and the behaviour of our colleagues, in real time, to ensure our exacting standards are consistently met.”
They added: “Following the release of the North Moor Farm footage and as previously announced, we have commissioned a full review of our on-farm practices, which is being completed by an independent veterinarian professional. We will share the results of this investigation when it is complete.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are appalled by the mistreatment in this footage. What it shows in no way reflects the standards of welfare and conduct we require from all of our suppliers, including Cranswick. While we understand this footage was captured before Cranswick launched a comprehensive review of its operations, until we have detailed, independent assurance that Somerby Top Farm and all other sites in the Elsham Lincs Group meet our welfare standards we have immediately suspended supply from these farms.”
This Author
Brendan Montague is a member of the editorial team at The Ecologist.