SHOCKING VIDEO: CCTV reveals ‘awful’ abuse of pigs at local farm

    A pig farm near Milton Keynes has been shut down after a video revealed the ‘awful neglect’ of the animals who lived there.

    Animal Equality, a leading international animal protection organisation, today released shocking scenes of cruelty filmed on a Red Tractor certified pig farm in Dunstable that supplies major retailers as well as some local butchers.

    The investigation filmed over the past three months uncovered:

    A worker swinging tiny piglets by a back leg and smashing their head against the wall, one continues to kick for at least 10 seconds

    Piglets screaming in agony as the tips of their tiny teeth are clipped off without pain relief, a mutilation restricted to ‘extreme circumstances only’ under UK law

    Terrified pigs being shocked repeatedly with an electric prod to force them onto the slaughter truck, many are prodded in the side and neck in violation of the law

    A tiny piglet frothing at the mouth, having been thrown onto a pile of dead piglets and left for dead hours earlier

    Dozens of dead piglets littering the floor of the farrowing (birthing) shed as well as piglets trapped in crates with dead siblings

    Larger pigs crammed into barren metal pens so small they are forced to lie on top of each other in record-breaking high temperatures

    Other pigs locked inside filthy, wooden bins with lids that leave them in total darkness, no enrichment is provided

    Executive Director Dr Toni Shephard said:  “The sound of piglets’ heads being smashed against the wall, the cries of agony as their tiny teeth are clipped, and the terrified squeals of pigs being forced onto the slaughter truck with electric shocks could be straight out of a horror film. Yet these harrowing scenes are from the much romanticised local, family farm producing British pork under the Red Tractor label.”

    Veterinary expert Professor Andrew Knight from the University of Winchester’s Centre for Animal Welfare also viewed the footage and confirmed that it showed “inhumane handling and killing of piglets” as well as “excessive and inappropriate use of an electric prod likely to cause pain and fear.”

    All of the footage was passed to Red Tractor, Defra’s Animal and Plant Health Agency and the RSPCA last week. 

    Red Tractor has suspended the farm pending further investigation. A spokesman told The Times: “The assessment did confirm a number of non-conformance issues that do not adhere to Red Tractor standards.The use of the goad is not allowed in Red Tractor farm standards. As a result Rosebury Farm’s Red Tractor assurance certificate has been withdrawn.”

    Michael Thorne, who runs Rosebury Farm, apologised for his actions and will ensure his staff has the “latest training”.

    He told the paper: “I apologise for my actions and accept that there were shortcomings in the way that I managed the farm. The pigs have been my livelihood for the last 25 years so their welfare is of utmost importance to me. In future I will ensure that all staff including myself have the latest training and resource to be able to manage the farm in a way that the public would expect.”

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