The footage, which was captured by Animal Justice Project, shows workers at Somerby Top Farm routinely hitting pigs with boards, paddles and their fists, often targeting areas such as their snout and eyes, as well as multiple botched killings of lame piglets.
One piglet was seen left dying for 33 hours as other piglets cannibalised an open wound, while a manager was recorded saying “I’m the boss, I’ve been here three or four years and it’s f***ing s***, this place”.
Around 4,000 pigs are raised for slaughter at Somerby Top Farm, which is Red Tractor accredited, while the footage showed up to 27 pigs crammed into one pen.
The farm supplies grocery retailers including Tesco, Sainsbury’s, Asda and Morrisons, all of which have reportedly suspended the farm in light of the investigation.
This comes just three months after Cranswick was forced to suspend another farm where animal cruelty was discovered, leading to protests at the Tesco AGM.
In response to the footage emerging, a Cranswick spokesperson said: “We are horrified to see the unacceptable treatment of pigs at Somerby Top farm; historically recorded and brought to our attention this week.
“Since the North Moor Farm footage was brought to our attention in May, also over 15 months old when shared; we have installed CCTV at all of our indoor pig farms, recruited five new welfare officers, retrained all of our farm colleagues and commissioned an independent veterinarian led review across all of our farms. The staff involved are no longer with the business.”
Meanwhile, a Red Tractor spokesperson said the organisation was taking the clear breach of animal welfare standards “extremely seriously”.
“The farm’s Red Tractor certification has been suspended with immediate effect and a full investigation is underway,” the spokesperson added.
“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.”
‘Sickening’
Reacting to the news, Fran Wyatt, the managing director of independent sausage manufacturer Porky Whites, described the treatment of pigs on the farm as “sickening”.
“I am deeply saddened to see yet another sickening case in the news today from one of the larger pork producers’ farms,” Wyatt said.
“It raises serious questions about how consumers can trust the Red Tractor logo. Many businesses invest heavily in that scheme, yet incidents like this show it means nothing if such abuse can still happen under its banner.”
Wyatt also criticised grocery retailers for only suspending supplies from the farm and not reviewing their relationship with Cranswick.
“Why distance only from individual farms, and not the larger producers themselves,” she continued.
“Passing it off as ‘isolated’ is not good enough. Without accountability at the highest level, consumer confidence in British pork will continue to erode.”
