This week more horrendous footage from inside a Cranswick facility surfaced, thanks to animal rights activists Animal Justice Project. Cannibalism, improper killing, violent treatment and negligent welfare checks were among the horrors captured by the campaign group.
The footage is truly difficult to watch and should not be happening. And, luckily, it is not (anymore).
The evidence is months out of date and predates a raft of welfare measures made by Cranswick, following its last animal welfare crisis (also brought about by footage from AJP). So what exactly does this campaign group really want to achieve?
Welfare reforms
In May the group published footage from its North Moor Farm in Lincolnshire where piglets were being slammed onto concrete. This led to an overhaul of animal rights policy at the meat business.
Since then, Cranswick has brought in significant reforms across its pork facilities. It has changed the management team at these farms and staff seen abusing animals in the footage are no longer working for the business. It has also recruited five full time welfare officers to work across all its farms, and all staff have been retrained in livestock handling with a focus on animal health and welfare.
The meat supplier is also installing AI-enabled CCTV across all its indoor farms, meaning farm staff can monitor the health of the pigs – and, crucially, the behaviour of their colleagues – in real time.
Finally, an investigation is taking place by an independent veterinarian, the results of which will be shared when complete.
It is thorough, but clearly AJP doesn’t think it goes far enough. Hence this latest round of now-historic evidence of wrongdoing.
Ideology over welfare
The latest footage from Somerby Top Farm, also in Lincolnshire, showed cannibalism and prolonged suffering of pigs including one piglet which was attacked for over 33 hours and another for 46 hours, both ultimately left to die without intervention.
“This is the worst cannibalism we have ever documented,” said Claire Palmer, director of Animal Justice Project. “Pigs were literally eaten alive, suffering ruptures, infections, and horrific injuries – the result of boredom, overcrowding, and despair. Cranswick created these conditions.”
Pigs were violently handled at the site being beaten, kicked, dragged and struck repeatedly with boards, paddles, and hands. It also showed unfit pigs being transported, improper killing, negligent welfare checks, lighting violations and audit concerns.
The footage is difficult to watch and the images from inside the site are disturbing and, undoubtedly, points to a need for wider reform in the meat supply chain.
However, it is months old. As assurance scheme Red Tractor said in a statement, the delay is “concerning and suggests that these activists have prioritised ideology over protecting animal welfare”. The standards board pointed to its own anonymous whistle-blowing service as a quicker way to resolve any issues spotted on a farm.
If animal welfare is really at the heart of campaign groups like AJP, they should be working with the food industry to minimise suffering in the supply chain, acting quickly to bring these issues to light rather than sitting on footage for months to get a bigger “gotcha” moment.
Ultimately that is what it comes down to, because AJP doesn’t want to improve conditions in the meat industry. It wants the industry to cease to exist. A noble goal but one that is deeply unachievable.
Holding onto videos of violence and criminal activity, for over a year in some cases, is at best disingenuous and at worst dangerous. Especially for the animals the group claims it wants to protect.
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