Third pig farm facing claims of abuse towards animals
Concerns have been raised about another site run by Hull-based Cranswick
Last updated 27th Sep 2025
An animal rights group has said pigs are being mistreated at a North Lincolnshire farm, the third site owned by Cranswick to face such claims.
The Animal Justice Project said it has secretly recorded evidence of animals being mistreating at Mere Farm in Barton Upon Humber.
The group said its undercover video footage shows workers "piglet thumping" - killing the animals with blunt force trauma, amongst other neglect and abuse claims.
It's the third site in the area, all operated by Hull-based producer Cranswick, where concerns have now been raised about practices.
The supplier has previously suspended operations at two other farms following allegations.
In May, operations were stopped at Northmoor Farm near Market Rasen and in August, Somerby Top Farm in Barnetby also suspended work.
Investigations into those sites led to supermarket chains Asda and Tesco suspending meat supplies from Cranswick.
In response a Cranswick spokesperson said:
“We are deeply disappointed and frustrated by the covert footage captured on one of our farms. The behaviour depicted is wholly unacceptable and clearly breaches the values, standards and animal welfare practices that we uphold across our business.
“Much of the material appears to pre-date the significant reforms we have been implementing — including the complete overhaul of our livestock handling policies and extensive, independently-led retraining for our employees.
“We are continuously working on improving our on-farm standards and culture, whilst investing in cutting edge surveillance technology. This programme is ongoing and subject to continuous review and improvement.
“Despite these efforts, it is clear that a small number of individuals have failed to follow our strict animal welfare protocols, even after retraining. This constitutes a serious breach of our standards.
“As a result, those individuals have been immediately dismissed and we will cooperate fully with the relevant authorities to support further investigations”.