We planted a worker inside Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire, a site owned by the largest British-owned pig company, Cranswick plc. You may remember Cranswick from our previous investigation at Bickmarsh Farm in 2023. We didn't think anywhere could be as grotesque as that place, but what we've filmed at this 6,000-pig farm is going to stay with us for a long time to come. As featured in the Mail on Sunday.

We are calling on the UK government to end illegal piglet ‘thumping’. Will you add your name today?

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Cranswick is a major supplier of bacon, pork and sausages to supermarkets like Tesco, Morrisons and Sainsbury's. The company has over 900,000 pigs and piglets on its farms at any one time. It's hailed as an "industry leader" but engages in the same disturbing routine practices inherent within pig farming. It is Red Tractor-assured, and the horrors we've uncovered were not isolated incidents but systemic and deeply embedded in its daily operations.

The most harrowing finding that we filmed was the illegal killing of piglets across the farm. Piglet' thumping' was made illegal in the United Kingdom in 2022. It is the process of slamming a piglet's head onto a hard surface like concrete in an attempt to kill them. This wicked act was filmed several times and was carried out by multiple Cranswick workers, with one even stating that it was 'legal'. Piglets were left appearing to breathe several minutes later, and others were 'thumped' multiple times as staff had no idea if the babies were dead or alive, despite being responsible for their 'welfare'.

"The footage from Northmoor Farm shows repeated and ineffective attempts to kill piglets using blunt force trauma. A humane killer was not used and no assessments were made to confirm death. At least one piglet appeared to continue breathing after the attempted kill. That such practices are taking place on a large, commercial farm highlights a serious failure in training, management and oversight.”– Dr Alick Simmons, former UK Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer.

Mother pigs were imprisoned in farrowing crates, reduced to breeding machines for the multimillion-pound company. After being artificially inseminated, they were violently rammed into crates, where they remained for several weeks, unable to even turn around. Cranswick workers pulled the hair and tails of the heavily pregnant pigs and kicked them in their stomachs. After giving birth, they weren't afforded any compassion either. They were beaten with plastic spades, kneed in their backs and slapped in the face.

Ten per cent of the babies at Northmoor Farm died within weeks of birth. Those who survived were mutilated at just a couple of days old. Their tails were cut off without pain relief – a procedure that is not legally allowed to be carried out as routine, but was done to every single piglet. The piglets' teeth were also ground down to prevent them from injuring each other. Nevertheless, many babies sustained facial injuries, most likely inflicted by one another in overcrowded and stressful environments. Iron injections were also given to every piglet – a grim substitute for the natural behaviour of rooting in soil, something these piglets will never get to experience. 

The killings of two severely lame sows were some of the most horrifying scenes that we've ever documented. In one particularly distressing example, a sow who was in a farrowing crate had a restraint put over her face and was dragged backwards by two workers. She was torn away from her piglets and forced to leave them behind. She collapsed in the walkway but was goaded out of the shed as workers hit and swore at her. Outside, she was shot three times with a captive bolt gun, as the workers appeared not to know if she was conscious or not, and later had a metal 'pithing' rod inserted into her brain to kill her.

Rather than being afforded a moment of dignity, the Cranswick workers took her life away. This would have been the first time she'd have seen the sky or breathed fresh air for weeks, but instead of giving her the help she so desperately needed, she was killed to protect the company's bottom line.

A second collapsed pig wasn't afforded any compassion either. Unable to stand up, she was shot in the head with a bolt gun by a Cranswick worker. She screamed immediately in distress as the shot missed and left her writhing in agony. The worker joked "that's what happens when you miss". She cried out for an agonising 23 seconds before being shot a second time. The company's profits soared to £176 million in a single year, and they claim that "animal welfare is at the heart of our business". Our findings directly contradict the welfare-washing marketing the company projects.

“Beyond the appalling conditions, the lack of empathy and overt abuse shown by staff on this farm is deeply disturbing. There is no excuse for the extreme rough handling and violence. Staff are legally required to be trained and competent, yet pigs are left to suffer through repeated failed efforts to move, treat, or kill them. Particularly shocking is the killing of piglets by slamming them against a hard surface — a practice that is both illegal and deeply inhumane, especially when executed as poorly as we see here. Sadly, cruelty is not unusual in British pig farms; it’s something I’ve seen all too often across the sector.”– Dr Alice Brough, BVM&S MRCVS, Veterinarian

Finding sick and injured pigs at Northmoor Farm was the norm. They appeared to be left without treatment for days – many of the illnesses were entirely preventable and treatable. The ailments included prolapses, football-sized hernias, open wounds and ruptured testicles. Other piglets had swollen joints or couldn't use their back legs. Coughing and wheezing were seen in 'grower' piglets, who had recently been taken away from their mothers.

'Small' piglets were singled out of group pens and killed one by one in scenes that reflect a horrifying bloodbath. These individuals are deemed unprofitable or too small to compete with the others, so are often killed to prevent profit loss. These animals were picked up and thrown by their ears, held by their legs or draped over a wheelbarrow to be shot.

The pigs trapped inside Cranswick's farms need our collective support. Please help us continue exposing these violent industries that exploit mothers and babies by donating today. Your donation enables us to campaign relentlessly, uncover the truth and pressure the pig industry. We are not going to stop until it's no more.

Thank you for standing with us and being on the right side of history. We can make a huge difference, and I am certain we will.

As always,

For the animals.