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Meat producer Cranswick’s shares have plunged after UK supermarkets suspended supplies from one of its farms linked to alleged abuse against pigs.
Covert footage emerged over the weekend, appearing to show workers at Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire abusing piglets.
Workers were filmed holding piglets by their hind legs and slamming them to the ground.
Other videos showed the botched killing of a sow, leaving the animal screaming and writhing in pain.
A sow was also shown being beaten with metal bars.
The alleged abuse was filmed by the animal rights organisation Animal Justice Project (AJP) and first reported by the Mail on Sunday.
A worker who failed to kill a sow using a bolt gun reportedly said to an undercover investigator: “Don’t let nobody see you doing like what we did.”
Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s and Tesco have now suspended Northmoor Farm as a supplier.
Cranswick, which owns Northmoor Farm, is listed on the London Stock Exchange. Its shares fell 7.5 per cent on Monday.
It made nearly £2.6 billion in revenue in 2024. Of that, about 25 per cent came from its fresh pork business.
About 6,000 pigs are kept at Northmoor Farm. Cranswick as a whole slaughters more than 34,000 pigs per week.
A statement on its website says: “Animal welfare is at the heart of our business.”
Images on its website show pigs and piglets in green fields and wide open spaces.
The AJP filed a formal complaint to Trading Standards as a result of its investigation.
A spokesperson for Cranswick 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 immediately 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.”
A Tesco spokesperson said the supermarket expected all its suppliers to adhere to high welfare standards.
“We were shocked to see this footage and have suspended the farm in question while a full investigation is carried out.”
A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “These allegations involve unacceptable treatment of animals, which has no place in our supply chain.
“We are urgently investigating this with Cranswick and in the meantime, all supply from this farm has been suspended.”
A Morrisons spokesperson said the allegations were shocking and concerning.
“We understand that Cranswick are investigating urgently and we have suspended supply from this farm until further notice.”
A spokesperson for 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.”
AJP founder Claire Palmer said: “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, the group is calling for a legislative phase-out of pig farming, in favour of a food system that “no longer depends on animal suffering”, Ms Palmer said.
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