Cranswick has apologised ‘unreservedly’ for ‘unacceptable’ footage from 2024 showing pigs being badly mistreated on one of its farms.
The footage, published by the Mail on Sunday, was collected from Somerby Top Farm in Lincolnshire, ‘under the cover of darkness’ between May 2024 and January 2025 by the Animal Justice Project.
The footage showed a number of disturbing practices and incidents, including ‘prolonged cannibalism’, with pigs left without intervention until death, violent handling during loading for slaughter, negligent welfare checks and unfit animals transported in breach of legal guidelines. AJP said its footage also showed lighting violations, with pigs kept under constant artificial light for up to 50 hours.
This latest exposé on a Cranswick-owned, Red Tractor-assured, pig fattening facility comes just three months after the publication of damaging footage from the company’s North Moor Farm, in Lincolnshire, a breeding unit that sent pigs to Somerby Top for fattening.
Both units were acquired by the company in late 2023 – and Cranswick said the management team at both farms has been changed and staff shown in the footage were suspended immediately and no longer work for the business.
The North Moor exposé prompted Cranswick, the UK’s biggest pork producer, to launch a review into welfare practices.
Cranswick reaction
A Cranswick spokesperson 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.
“As with the North Moor Farm footage, released in May 2025, the content was recorded several months ago but has only very recently been shared with us.
“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.
“Since May, we have been implementing major changes across all of our farming businesses to address the challenges raised within the footage.
“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.
“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.”
Red Tractor statement
AJP said its investigators entered the site at night to install hidden cameras and film inside the sheds before and after a Red Tractor audit. They claimed conditions remained the same – in some cases worse – after the inspection.
“The farm’s Red Tractor certification has been suspended with immediate effect and a full investigation is underway.
A Red Tractor spokesperson said: “This footage is deeply distressing. Red Tractor is taking this clear breach of animal welfare standards extremely seriously.
“Red Tractor is conducting a thorough review of both current and historical footage, compliance and staffing on the farm. The farm will remain unassured if Red Tractor is not satisfied our standards are met. We have also referred the case to the government animal welfare regulator, APHA.
“It’s important to note that this footage was taken between May 2024 and January 2025, with evidence and allegations only being presented to Red Tractor in August 2025.
“This delay is concerning and suggests that these activists have prioritised ideology over protecting animal welfare. Red Tractor provides a free anonymous whistle-blowing service, and we actively encourage anyone with concerns to raise these so that we can investigate immediately.
“The disregard of animal welfare standards shown in the footage does a disservice to an industry which works hard to uphold animal welfare requirements.”
Red Tractor also provided an update on North Moor Farm, which had its certification suspended following the May exposé.
“Following a full investigation, the farm’s Red Tractor certificate was reinstated provided strict conditions are met,” the spokesperson said.
The farm is now subject to regular unannounced spot checks, was required to immediately retrain staff in animal welfare and must share regular regulatory reports with Red Tractor. It was also required to install CCTV, and that footage is regularly reviewed by independent welfare experts.
NPA comment
NPA chief executive Lizzie Wilson said: “The behaviour depicted in the footage is wholly unacceptable and cannot be condoned in any way. We are horrified to see pigs treated in this way – and continue to work with others across the industry to ensure high standards are maintained at all times.
“We must also stress that this sort of behaviour is also not representative of the care pig farmers provide to their animals across the country on a daily basis.
“We would like to highlight that this footage of Somerby Top Farm is from between May 2024 and January 2025 and NPA is aware that Cranswick has already implemented a comprehensive suite of actions following the release of footage from their North Moor unit.
“Furthermore, despite AJP being aware of the behaviour of some individuals on farm for many months, they evidently did not alert the relevant authorities and therefore those individuals have been permitted to continue to work with the pigs for all that time.”