INSIDE
THE BRITISH PIG INDUSTRY
EAST ANGLIAN PIG Company Little Thorns, Weaner Unit & Didlington, the Piggery Special undercover investigation April 2012
Inside the British Pork Industry
Animal Equality All rights reserved.
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a special undercover investigation by
Animal Equality works to raise public awareness on the suffering and death of non-human animals in our society and calls for the abolition of animal use. Animals are sentient beings and able to feel emotions and sensations such as pain, pleasure, fear or stress and, like us, they are individuals with their own needs, desires and an interest in living. Most people believe that animals should not be harmed unnecessarily, but the consumption of animal products forces animals into a life of misery and an untimely death. By choosing a varied vegan diet, we won’t be taking part in their exploitation, and this way we can each prevent thousands of animals from being harmed and killed on our behalf.
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Inside the British Pork Industry
Figure 1: Weaned piglets living in deep mud inside a shed
On the left Figure 2: Piglets being crushed whilst being transported
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a special undercover investigation by
Animal Equality has carried out an undercover investigation into East Anglian Pig Co. Ltd (EAP) [1], which is the third largest pork producer of the UK. EAP is a member of the UK farm assurance scheme and food labelling system, ‘Freedom Food’ [2], which is audited and monitored by the RSPCA. All EAP units are also licensed by Red Tractor Farm Assurance scheme, which is audited and monitored by the Assured Food Standards (AFS)[3]. The Red Tractor Farm Assurance scheme was previously known as Assured British Pigs (ABP), which exists to promote and regulate food quality. Animal Equality carried out an investigation at a Red Tractor Farm during the months of July, August and September 2011 [4].
The East Anglian Pig Company was established in June 2009 following the sale of Bowes of Norfolk Ltd. to Cranswick Plc. EAP is located in Norfolk, and has farms across the East Anglian countryside. The company operates from seven pig breeding sites and numerous finishing units.
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Inside the British Pork Industry
The Animal Equality investigation spanned from December 2011 to January 2012, and our investigator worked at two different sites for a total of 29 days:
Little Thorns, weaner unit (6 Dec 2011 - 16 Dec 2011) This is a weaner unit, with approximately 8,000 to 10,000 pigs on site. Over 360 weaned piglets arrive at the farm every week from two different breeders - Holkham 2 Pig Unit, and Barrels Unit. At Little Thorns, the pigs are bred outdoors in six sheds for a period of 6 to 8 weeks, before being sent to the finishing units.
Didlington, The Piggery (20 Dec 2011 - 6 Jan 2012) This is a breeding unit, with 3,000 pigs on site and over 700 sows. The pigs are raised outdoors, and fattened indoors. Over 300 pigs are sent to the slaughterhouse from this facility each week.
Over 120 hours of footage and recorded conversations, as well as 278 photos obtained during this latest Animal Equality investigation, provide a truly shocking insight into the so-called high standards of the British pig industry. Animal Equality proves once again that, regardless of whether a farm is labeled as being ‘higher welfare’, ‘Quality Assured’ or monitored by the RSPCA, there exists pain, suffering and exploitation on a huge scale.
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a special undercover investigation by
The East Anglian Pig Company is owned by Cranswick Plc. - a leading UK food supplier which manufactures and supplies products to the food service sector, food producers and grocery retailers within the UK, such as Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, The Cooperative Food, Waitrose and ASDA.
The company produces a range of products that include pork, gourmet sausages, cooked meats, and dry cured bacon for sale to the food retailers. It also supplies a range of pre-sliced, pre-packaged charcuterie products for sale, together with a range of pre-packed sandwiches for food outlets. Its brands include Jamie Oliver, Weight Watchers, Richard Woodall, The Black Farmer, Red Lion Foods, Reggae Reggae, Simply Sausages and Yorkshire Baker.
Cranswick pork is also used to make famous dishes served in McDonald’s such as the Sausage & Egg McMuffin. Cranswick had been named supplier of the year at the OSI McDonald’s awards on 4th April 2011.
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a special undercover investigation by
Animal Equality’s undercover investigations of pig farms in the UK reveal the institutionalised abuse of animals housed in them, and expose the lies of the ‘higher welfare’ British pork industry.
The appalling scenes of confinement, barren conditions wounded and injured pigs left to suffer demonstrate the reality of the animal industry.
The Animal Equality investigator documented the misery of pigs at The East Anglian Pig Company, specifically: Opposite page Figure 3: Paraplegic piglet probably as a result of spinal trauma Figure 4: Piglet with deep abrasion on his muzzle
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Sickly piglets were killed by blunt force trauma.
These animals were grasped by their hind limbs and brutally whipped head-first multiple times against a hard surface.
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Extreme confinement within sow stalls and farrowing
crates which resulted in the pigs being subject to extreme movement restrictions, as they were unable to turn around.
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Inside the British Pork Industry
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Workers moved adult pigs by kicking them and one
pig was repeatedly slapped and punched across her sensitive muzzle and head.
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Weaners were thrown aggressively around by their
fragile limbs.
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A worker grabbed an adult pig by his tail for restraint
whilst cutting and hacking the caudal thigh. The animal was not afforded any sedation or anesthesia.
Figure 5: Stereotypies such as bar-biting and excessive swaying behaviour were observed
On the right from top to botton Figure 6 - 7: Workers moved adult pigs by kicking, slapping or punching them across the head Figure 8: Dead piglets who had been crushed by their mother
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Stereotypies were readily observed. Female pigs
were frequently observed bar-biting, and one pig demonstrated excessive swaying behaviour.
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Pigs appeared to suffer significant injuries. Deep
abrasions were evident on the backs of some individuals, and several piglets were lame or paraplegic, probably due to spinal trauma.
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Piglets appeared to have abrasions and ulcerative
lesions on their joints. Such wounds can lead to secondary infections as a result of bacterial and ammonia contamination from the environment, further perpetuating the condition.
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Several dead piglets were present in the farrowing
crates, most likely the result of crushing from their mother.
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Piglets were beaten in the head with an iron bar, and
an adult lame pig was shown with a twine muzzle over the snout. The animal was struggling and clearly suffering.
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Several amputated tail segments were observed as a
result of tail docking, which was carried out as a routine procedure. Tail docking in commercial piggery units is normally performed on young piglets without the use of anesthetic and can be a highly painful procedure.
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A worker after hitting a piglet with an iron bar, tried
to suffocate the piglet by placing his hand on the animal’s muzzle and then placing his foot over the throat.
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Figure 10: Piglet who had been beaten in the head with what an iron bar
On the right Figure 11: Stereotypies such as barbiting and excessive swaying behaviour were observed
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a special undercover investigation by
Animal Equality has carried out a thorough investigation to expose once again the British pig industry. Animal Equality aims to show that regardless of whether animal farming is labeled as ‘High Quality Assured’ or ‘Freedom Food’, there exists pain, suffering and exploitation on a huge scale. We do not need to contribute to the institutionalised deprivation, humiliation, imprisonment and suffering that occurs each day to billions of sentient beings. Without the public demand for animal products a great amount of misery and exploitation can be avoided. Opposite page and on the right Figure 12: Pig convulsioning after been hit on the head with an iron bar Figure 13: A paraplegic piglet left to die
Animal Equality urges consumers to stop funding animal exploitation by adopting a vegan[5] lifestyle.
Be part of the solution, by making a difference. Choose Veganism.
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Inside the British Pork Industry
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[1] The East Anglian Pig Company was formed in June 2009 following the sale of Bowes of Norfolk Ltd to Cranswick Plc. The MBO headed up by Adrian Dowling was fundamental to the deal, and consists of 3 Bowes family members and 3 senior professional managers. A robust long term supply agreement is in place with Cranswick Plc and the further development of the pig breeding, rearing and fattening operations to the whole market.
The company operates from 7 breeding sites and numerous finishing units.
[2] The Freedom Food website states that ‘it is the only UK farm assurance scheme to focus solely on improving the welfare of farm animals reared for food’
www.rspca.org.uk/freedomfood
[3] assurance.redtractor.org.uk/rtassurance/global/home.eb
[4] www.britishporkindustry.co.uk/report.php
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[5] Veganism is a lifestyle based on respect for animals. Animals are individual sentient beings like us. Being sentient means they can feel and experience emotions and sensations such as pain, pleasure, fear, joy, boredom or stress, and what happens to them matters to them. Living a vegan lifestyle means valuing other animals' lives and as a result, rejecting their use for food, clothing, entertainment and experimentation. This means that millions of sensitive, aware individuals will be spared from suffering or dying in places such as farms, slaughterhouses, laboratories, zoos, aquariums, circuses, fur farms and hunts.
Websites Choose Veganism www.chooseveganism.org Animal Equality’s Harling Farm Investigation www.britishporkindustry.co.uk East Anglian Pigs Co. www.eapigs.co.uk web.archive.org/web/20100106114802/http://www.eapigs.co.uk/about-us RSPCA Freedom Food www.rspca.org.uk/freedomfood Red Tractor www.redtractor.org.uk/ assurance.redtractor.org.uk/rtassurance/global/home.eb
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Inside the British Pork Industry Special undercover investigations
More information at: BritishPorkIndustry.co.uk Animal Equality All rights reserved
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