Cranswick, a Hull-based supermarket supplier and the º£½ÇÊÓƵ's largest pork producer, has initiated a comprehensive investigation into all on-farm practices following new allegations of animal cruelty. Earlier this year, operations at Northmoor Farm, near Market Rasen, were suspended by Cranswick in May after undercover footage allegedly showed staff mistreating piglets at the site.
The distressing video seemed to depict employees holding piglets by their hind legs before throwing them against the ground, utilising a prohibited killing method known as "piglet thumping". The footage, collected in 2024 by an undercover investigator from the Animal Justice Project (AJP), also purportedly showed extreme maltreatment, excessively cramped conditions, neglect of animals, and routine mutilations.
This led to Cranswick pledging not to sell any pigs reared at the farm and initiating an independent inquiry. However, new footage has now been released by the same animal protection organisation, this time taken at a different pig farm owned by the company – Somerby Top farm at Barnetby, Lincolnshire.
The footage allegedly shows instances of pigs being subjected to being eaten alive, as well as alleged violent handling during loading with animals being beaten and kicked during slaughter loading.
Footage has emerged showing piglets, allegedly deemed unfit for transport due to open hernias, wounds, abscesses, and lameness, being loaded and removed from the site. The Animal Justice Project alleges that workers conducted superficial checks, merely glancing at animals as they walked past pens, reports .
It is claimed that one inspection of 1,000 pigs lasted a mere 90 seconds.
Claire Palmer, director of Animal Justice Project, commented: "This is the worst cannibalism we have ever documented. Pigs were literally being eaten alive, suffering ruptures, infections and horrific injuries.
"This isn't natural behaviour – it's the product of intense boredom, crowding and despair. Cranswick has created these conditions, not the pigs. The public should be appalled."
Both North Moor and Somerby Top farms were purchased by Cranswick in late 2023. Since the acquisition, Cranswick has stated that it has made significant investments in the farms to enhance welfare conditions, working practices and culture, aligning them with other Cranswick-operated farms.
Footage of Somerby Top, filmed between May 2024 and January 2025, was shared with Cranswick this month. Upon reviewing the footage and photos, Cranswick confirmed that immediate action was taken, including initiating a vet-led investigation.
Cranswick, a company listed on the FTSE250 market of the London Stock Exchange, has introduced several measures. The company stated that a vet-led review is currently in progress, with numerous farm visits and staff interviews already completed.
However, the findings will not be shared with Cranswick or more broadly until the project concludes. Employees implicated in the incidents at both farms were immediately suspended and have since left the company.
New management teams have been installed at the firms. Additionally, Cranswick has implemented enhanced staff training, with refresher courses completed and extra welfare modules added.
The company has also revised its euthanasia policy, prohibiting the use of non-mechanical manual blunt force trauma – piglet thumping – across all sites. Five new field-based welfare officers have been hired to conduct unannounced spot audits and ensure units adhere to strict operating standards.
Significantly, the company is also deploying cutting-edge AI-enabled CCTV systems across all 45 indoor facilities to oversee on-site operations, enabling the business to spot any issues regarding animal welfare whilst observing the conduct of its farm personnel. The firm said the initiative will also enable Cranswick to continuously enhance on-farm practices.
A Cranswick spokesperson commented: "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 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.
"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."
