Supermarkets suspend supplies from second Cranswick pig farm after abuse allegations

Tesco and Asda said they had suspended supplies from Somerby Top Farm in Lincolnshire, which is run by the Hull-based meat producer.

Footage filmed between May 2024 and January 2025 by the Animal Justice Project appears to show injured piglets being violently kicked across the floor by workers, while others are apparently hit with heavy boards.

An investigation, by the Mail on Sunday, found that some of the worst alleged abuse came just after the farm was audited by Red Tractor, the animal welfare quality assessor.

Footage appeared to show workers routinely hitting “pigs with boards, paddles and their fists, deliberately targeting areas such as their snout and eyes”.

The newspaper added that welfare checks often ignored “visible injuries and suffering, with one inspection of 1,000 pigs lasting just 90 seconds”, as well as “multiple botched killings of lame piglets”.

Red Tractor said Somerby Top Farm’s certification had been suspended with immediate effect following the “deeply distressing” footage.

It added that it had referred the case to the Government’s animal welfare regulator, the Animal and Plant Health Agency.

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We take animal welfare extremely seriously and expect all our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards.

“We were shocked by this footage, and we have immediately suspended the farm in question.

“Our specialist agriculture team is working with the supplier to carry out a full investigation.”

Asda said it had “immediately suspended supply” from the farm after the supermarket was made aware of the claims.

This comes just months after Cranswick suspended using nearby Northmoor Farm after covert footage emerged appearing to show workers at the site abusing piglets.

Cranswick said that management teams and workers at both farms had been replaced.

A spokesperson for Cranswick said: “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.”

In a statement, Red Tractor said: “This footage is deeply distressing. Red Tractor is taking this clear breach of animal welfare standards extremely seriously.”

It added: “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.”