Pig farm operations suspended over abuse claims
Supermarket food supplier Cranswick has suspended operations at one of its farms after footage emerged appearing to show workers abusing piglets.
The Hull-based firm said "the team" at Northmoor Farm near Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, had been suspended, adding that "an urgent and thorough investigation" was under way.
Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco have suspended use of the farm.
A spokesperson for Cranswick said: "The welfare of the animals we rear is of the utmost importance and we are extremely disappointed to see the unacceptable lapse of welfare standards captured at Northmoor Farm."
The footage was filmed by Animal Justice Project (AJP).
According to AJP, workers were filmed holding piglets by their hind legs and slamming them to the ground, using a banned method of killing the animals known as "piglet thumping".
Other footage, first reported by the Mail on Sunday newspaper, appeared to show the botched killing of a sow that left the animal screaming.
A sow was also shown apparently being beaten with metal bars.
AJP claimed a worker who failed to kill a sow using a bolt gun told an undercover worker: "Don't let nobody see you doing like what we did."
A Cranswick spokesperson said: "As soon as we saw the footage, we immediately suspended the team working at the farm and we are conducting an urgent and thorough investigation.
"We have also suspended the farm from supplying any pigs until the investigation is completed."
Tesco said it expected all its suppliers to "adhere to our high welfare standards", while a Sainsbury's spokesperson said: "These allegations involve unacceptable treatment of animals, which has no place in our supply chain."
A Morrisons spokesperson said: "We care deeply about animal welfare and these are shocking and concerning allegations."
AJP has lodged a legal complaint with trading standards citing multiple breaches of the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing regulations by the farm.
Under the legislation, using blunt trauma to kill pigs is illegal in England.
In a letter, AJP's barrister Ayesha Smart urged trading standards to investigate the incident and "enforce any breaches of law to ensure that animal welfare standards in our society are upheld and that those who wilfully disregard them are held accountable".
Emma Milligan, trading standards operational delivery manager, said they were reviewing footage captured at Northmoor Farm.
"We take reports of cruelty towards livestock extremely seriously and we work with partners, including Lincolnshire Police and the Animal and Plant Health Agency to investigate and take action to protect livestock," she said.
Claire Palmer, AJP's founder, said: "There must be an independent public inquiry into pig farming practices and regulatory failures.
"Ultimately, we're calling for a legislative phase-out of pig farming in favour of a food system that no longer depends on animal suffering."
The National Pig Association has been approached for a comment.
Listen to highlights from Lincolnshire on BBC Sounds, watch the latest episode of Look North or tell us about a story you think we should be covering here.
Protest over dairy farm cow abuse allegations
Neglectful farmer buried cow carcasses in manure
Farm workers sacked after pig abuse film
Animal Justice Project
Cranswick
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Mass. man who supplied gang with ‘particularly dangerous' drugs began drinking, smoking at 13
At just 13, a Massachusetts boy turned to alcohol and marijuana. By 15, he was hooked on heroin. Now, three decades later, the scars of that addiction run deep — and at 39, he's been sentenced to federal prison for his role in a Massachusetts-based drug ring. Brian Gingras, also known as 'Cheech,' was sentenced June 4 to nine years in prison. Gringas pleaded guilty in January to conspiracy to distribute and to possess with intent to distribute 50 grams and more of methamphetamine. Gingras' 'first encounter with the criminal justice system was in 2003, when he was 17 years old. The next 20 years of Defendant's life would be an uninterrupted parade of arrests and criminal court cases,' court documents state. 'Most of these cases did not result in convictions, but the records illustrate in stark relief Defendant's unwillingness or inability to conform his conduct to the requirements of the law.' Read more: How one machine supercharged illicit drug manufacturing in Mass. In 2019, Gingras' parents bought him a home. Three years later, investigators searched that home 'finding substantial evidence of Defendant's crimes.' Investigators also said the 'unkempt home' was 'in disarray.' 'Drugs were found in nearly every room of the house, some of which were clearly being used,' court documents state. 'Defendant himself appeared to be in distress, and he was removed from the scene in an ambulance.' Thousands of 'particularly dangerous imitations' of Adderall pills that were supplied by a Massachusetts gang looked like the real pills but were filled with a compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. The pills had become increasingly popular and prevalent in Lowell. They were similar in shape, size, and appearance to genuine Adderall but were typically pressed with methamphetamine by local drug traffickers using pill presses, court documents state. Gingras was the source of the pills and other drugs, such as cocaine and counterfeit 'Xanax bars,' to the Asian Boyz gang, according to court documents. He was distributing wholesale quantities of cocaine and various illicit pills. He had all the equipment necessary to produce the pills himself, including an industrial pill press, which is legal in the U.S. The machines are largely unregulated and available for purchase online. In the garage, officials found a broken pill press covered in drug residue. Historically, pill presses were used in the pharmaceutical profession and by people who make their own dietary supplements, such as bodybuilders or naturopaths. Read more: A Mass. man bought an illegal depressant online and took his life. The seller will go to prison Gingras also maintained a large quantity of the drugs at a commercial storage facility, court documents state. Inside the storage unit, officials found 250 grams of methamphetamine pills, over 1 kilogram of etizolam pills, bags of suspected marijuana, boxes of THC extract and edible products and over 30 kilograms of caffeine pills that looked identical to the counterfeit 'Adderall' pills made with methamphetamine. Bill Phim, also known as 'Bonez,' of the Asian Boyz gang, told an undercover officer that he coordinated the supply of methamphetamine pills with other Asian Boyz gang members and associates, including Gingras. Between May 2022 and September 2022, officials said Gingras met with Phim prior to planned deals to personally deliver pills. In total, Gingras supplied Phim with about 5,200 pills during this time period, consisting of over 1.6 kilograms (3.5 pounds) of methamphetamine, court documents read. Gingras sold the pills for about $1 per pill. 'Phim, in turn, re-sold the pills to the undercover officer for a significant profit, at the price of $3.50 per pill,' court documents read. Phim, 37, of Lowell, was sentenced to 10 years in prison. He will then be on five years of supervised release. Read more: Will Mass. lawmakers take action on illicit drug-making machines? Public comment sought. Between February 2022 and April 2022, Erickson Dao, also known as 'Silent,' 32, of Lowell, delivered the counterfeit pills to Phim at least five times. Phim then sold the pills to an undercover federal agent for more than $11,000. On 12 different dates in 2022, Phim sold these counterfeit 'Adderall' pills to an undercover agent. In total, Phim sold the undercover agent over 10,000 pills for more than $36,000. Chemical testing confirmed that the pills were a dangerous compound of methamphetamine and caffeine. When investigators searched Dao's residence, they discovered thousands more counterfeit 'Adderall' pills and large quantities of cocaine. Gingras was seen making 'brief visits' to the back door of Dao's house, 'where Dao routinely engaged in drug transactions,' court documents state. Dao was sentenced to more than seven years in prison. He will then be on four years of supervised release. Read more: We bought a machine that makes fentanyl pills. It wasn't hard Gingras said he was not part of the Asian Boyz gang. However, court documents state he was highly associated with them, including knowing one of the leaders. After the seizure of the drugs, investigators suspected that they had completely disrupted Gingras drug operation. Over Facebook Messenger, another suspected Asian Boyz gang member Samnang Son, or 'Smiley,' told Gingras that he was 'poor.' Gingras responded, 'Me too. I went from balling to crawling.' 'Defendant's response was revealing, capturing his state of mind in the immediate aftermath of the demise of his own illicit drug operation,' court documents read. When officials went to arrest Gingras the next day, they found him at a location in Lowell that is 'frequented by drug addicts and known as a place to obtain and use illicit drugs.' Read more: Hidden in plain sight: Where pill presses have been uncovered in Mass. Court documents state his addiction and mental health issues were considered when deciding his sentence. However, court documents state, 'this case suggests that Defendant even embraced a life of crime.' Officials hopes the nine years in prison gives Gingras 'significant opportunity to participate in the programming available,' including Bureau of Prison's Residential Drug Abuse Program. Netflix movie with well-known comedians needs paid background actors How pink heart shaped fentanyl led to Mass. father's 18-year prison sentence Botulism cases linked to Botox injections under investigation in Massachusetts ICE deportation blocked by Boston judge: Migrants now in shipping container in Djibouti Mass. State Lottery winner: Father will take children to Disney with $100K prize Read the original article on MassLive.
Yahoo
9 hours ago
- Yahoo
Scottish drugs mule flooded market with £7m of heroin in plot involving former cop
A Scottish drugs mule who flooded the UK with millions of pounds worth of heroin has been ordered to pay back just £42k. Christopher Heaney, from Anstruther in Fife, was jailed for nine years for his involvement in a cross-border heroin conspiracy as he and four others were busted by cops following the arrest of a former police officer in 2022. Ex-cop Steven Creasey was stopped while driving to Fife having already travelled from his home in Cardiff to Liverpool on the same day. A dog then sniffed out a professionally installed hide under the passenger seat, reports WalesOnline. READ MORE: Tragedy as West Lothian man dies in crash after air ambulance lands on busy road READ MORE: Iconic Edinburgh 'banana flats' bursts into flames as residents evacuated It contained a 5kg stash of heroin and one kilogram of adulterant. A burner phone also found in his possession revealed he had been operating as a professional courier engaged by the heads of a Liverpool-based gang. Fife-based Heaney was involved in the distribution of onward supply across the UK along with three others. Raids were then carried out at homes in Cardiff, Liverpool, Scotland and Northumberland towards the end of 2022. Significant items were found at the addresses, including expensive jewellery, heroin, cocaine, adulterants, opium, cannabis grows, and metal moulds for pressing powder into blocks. All five defendants pleaded guilty prior to trial at Cardiff Crown Court in February last year. The gang members were jailed for a combination of 57 years and 2 months. A Proceeds of Crime Act (POCA) hearing was held at the same court earlier this week. It heard how despite profiting around £125,000 as part of the operation, Heaney was ordered to pay back a fraction of £42,000. Judge Lucy Crowther ordered him to pay the sum within three months. Join Edinburgh Live's Whatsapp Community here and get the latest news sent straight to your messages. If he fails to do so, he will face an additional 18 months in jail. Speaking after sentencing, Detective Inspector Christopher McGlinchey of Police Scotland said: "This case underlines our collaborative efforts to dismantle organised crime networks that span regions. "The significant amount of drugs trafficked by this group had the potential to inflict serious harm on our communities. "The success of Operation Solon demonstrates strong partnership working between Police Scotland, Tarian ROCU and other partner agencies. It also reinforces our commitment to the UK's Serious and Organised Crime Strategy. "Organised crime has no place in our society and we will continue to work relentlessly to bring those responsible to justice."
Yahoo
20 hours ago
- Yahoo
Rubio imposes sanctions on four ICC judges for ‘targeting' US and Israel
The United States is placing sanctions on four judges from the international criminal court (ICC) for what it has called its 'illegitimate actions' targeting the United States and Israel. The secretary of state, Marco Rubio, announced the sanctions in a statement on Thursday. They target Solomy Balungi Bossa of Uganda, Luz del Carmen Ibáñez Carranza of Peru, Reine Adelaide Sophie Alapini-Gansou of Benin and Beti Hohler of Slovenia. Donald Trump ordered cabinet officials to draw up sanctions against the ICC after the court issued arrest warrants for the Israeli prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and former defense minister Yoav Gallant. They were accused of overseeing an Israeli offensive during the Gaza conflict that caused famine and included the commission of war crimes. Two of the sanctioned judges authorised the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant, and two authorised an ICC investigation into abuses by US personnel in Afghanistan. 'As ICC judges, these four individuals have actively engaged in the ICC's illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America or our close ally, Israel,' Rubio said. 'The ICC is politicized and falsely claims unfettered discretion to investigate, charge, and prosecute nationals of the United States and our allies. This dangerous assertion and abuse of power infringes upon the sovereignty and national security of the United States and our allies, including Israel.' The decision to move forward with the sanctions will escalate Trump's feud with the court and other international organisations, which he has broadly dismissed as politicised. The US has already sanctioned the ICC's chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, because of his role in pursuing the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and Gallant. Those sanctions have led Khan to lose access to his email and his bank accounts have been frozen, the Associated Press reported earlier this month. Americans who work for The Hague-based court have been warned that they could be arrested if they set foot on American soil. In a statement, the ICC said it 'deplores' the new designations for sanctions. 'These measures are a clear attempt to undermine the independence of an international judicial institution which operates under the mandate from 125 states parties from all corners of the globe,' the ICC said. 'Targeting those working for accountability does nothing to help civilians trapped in conflict,' the statement continued. 'It only emboldens those who believe they can act with impunity. These sanctions are not only directed at designated individuals, they also target all those who support the court, including nationals and corporate entities of states parties. They are aimed against innocent victims in all situations before the court, as well as the rule of law, peace, security and the prevention of the gravest crimes that shock the conscience of humanity.' Danya Chaikel, the International Federation for Human Rights's representative to the ICC, said the types of sanctions imposed by the Trump administration were originally designed to 'disrupt terrorist networks like ISIS, weapons traffickers, and human rights abusers, not international justice institutions.' 'Using them against ICC officials represents a dangerous misuse of executive power and distorts their purpose … It sends the chilling message that enforcing accountability for mass atrocities can get you punished, while allegedly committing international crimes may get you protected. James Goldston, executive director of the Open Society's justice initiative and a former ICC prosecutor, said: 'As a court of last resort, the ICC is the one place victims of the most serious crimes can turn to when other avenues have failed them in their search for truth and justice. These new designations of ICC judges threaten their hopes and embolden the perpetrators. Sanctions against ICC officials are a betrayal of America's proud commitment to the rule of law and international justice.'
