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Shocking Revelations of Animal Cruelty at Cross Farm in England

Footage released by Animal Equality and award-winning photographer Aitor Garmendia has exposed disturbing practices at Cross Farm, a Devon-based pig farm supplying meat to Tesco. Owned by WJ Watkins and Son, the farm confines around 12,000 pigs in conditions that involve both legal and illegal abuses.

Pregnant and mother pigs are kept in farrowing crates, small cages that severely restrict their movement. For six visits from October 2023 to June 2024, over 100 hours of footage revealed appalling treatment of piglets, including being killed by being slammed against concrete walls, tail docking, and teeth clipping without anesthesia. Dead piglets were found throughout the farm, many having died from starvation, illness, or being crushed.

The footage also showed severe psychological distress among mother pigs, indicated by repetitive behaviors such as bar-biting. Many pigs suffered from untreated wounds and sores, and the barns were found to be filthy, and covered in cobwebs and dust.

Abigail Penny, Executive Director of Animal Equality UK, expressed her horror after witnessing the conditions firsthand, stating the sorrow in the pigs’ eyes was unforgettable.

Despite winning National Pig Awards in 2016 and 2017, and having one of its directors in the running for a National Pig Association seat, Cross Farm has a history of poor practices. Previous investigations revealed similar conditions, including pigs living in waste and suffering from untreated hernias.

In March 2024, Glass Wall Films also documented extreme neglect and cruelty at Cross Farm. This led Animal Equality to enlist Advocates for Animals to submit a formal complaint to Trading Standards, citing potential legal breaches regarding piglet treatment, injury management, and overall unsanitary conditions.

Animal welfare experts, including Dr. Alice Brough and Eva Read, emphasize that the conditions at Cross Farm are not isolated incidents but indicative of broader industry issues. They call for stricter enforcement of animal welfare laws and increased transparency in farming practices.

Animal Equality and The Animal Law Foundation have previously highlighted the lack of regulatory oversight in the UK, with less than 3% of farms inspected annually and a negligible percentage of complaints leading to prosecution.

Abigail Penny urges consumers to reconsider supporting such practices and to consider plant-based alternatives. To join the cause against cruelty at Cross Farm, sign the petition at Animal Equality UK’s campaign page.