Secret camera footage exposes 'botched killings of lame piglets' at farm
Animal rights activists Animal Justice Project spent ten months secretly filming some of the 900,000 pigs at Somerby Top Farm in Lincolnshire, which is run by British meat producer Cranswick.
The Mail on Sunday reported workers would routinely 'hit pigs with boards, paddles and their fists, deliberately targeting areas such as their snout and eyes'.
The newspaper added that welfare checks on the pig fattening farm often ignored 'visible injuries and suffering, with one inspection of 1,000 pigs lasting just 90 seconds', as well as 'multiple botched killings of lame piglets'.
It was reported that some of the 'most severe abuse' was inflicted on animals two weeks after the farm was audited by food chain assurance scheme Red Tractor.
Red Tractor said Somerby Top Farm's certification had been suspended with immediate effect following the 'deeply distressing' footage.
A Tesco spokesperson said: 'We take animal welfare extremely seriously and expect all our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards.
'We were shocked by this footage, and we have immediately suspended the farm in question.
'Our specialist agriculture team is working with the supplier to carry out a full investigation.'
Asda said it had 'immediately suspended supply' from the farm after the supermarket was made aware of the claims.
In a statement, Red Tractor said: 'This footage is deeply distressing. Red Tractor is taking this clear breach of animal welfare standards extremely seriously.
'The farm's Red Tractor certification has been suspended with immediate effect and a full investigation is underway.
'Red Tractor is conducting a thorough review of both current and historical footage, compliance and staffing on the farm. The farm will remain unassured if Red Tractor is not satisfied our standards are met.
'It's important to note that this footage was taken between May 2024 and January 2025, with evidence and allegations only being presented to Red Tractor in August 2025.
'This delay is concerning and suggests that these activists have prioritised ideology over protecting animal welfare.
'Red Tractor provides a free anonymous whistle-blowing service and we actively encourage anyone with concerns to raise these so that we can investigate immediately.'
A spokesperson for Cranswick said: 'The health and welfare of our pigs is our highest priority and we were horrified to see this unacceptable historic footage, filmed at Somerby Top farm.
'As with the North Moor Farm footage, released in May 2025, the content was recorded several months ago but has only very recently been shared with us.
'We find the treatment of the pigs in the footage distressing to watch and we apologise unreservedly for this lapse in our standards. It does not in any way reflect the operating practices at our farms today.
'Since May, we have been implementing major changes across all of our farming businesses to address the challenges raised within the footage.
'We have changed the management team at these farms and staff shown in the footage no longer work for the business. We have recruited five new full-time welfare officers.
'All of our farm colleagues have been retrained in livestock handling, with a strong focus on animal health and welfare. We are currently installing AI-enabled CCTV at all of our indoor farms to enable us to monitor the health of our pigs and the behaviour of our colleagues, in real time, to ensure our exacting standards are consistently met.'
Cranswick's shares plummeted in May after UK supermarkets suspended supplies from another one of its farms that was linked to abuse against pigs.
Covert footage appeared to show workers at Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire abusing piglets.
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 showed the botched killing of a sow that left the animal screaming and writhing in pain. A sow was also shown being beaten with metal bars.
The footage was filmed by Animal Justice Project and first reported by the Mail on Sunday newspaper.
In an update on Northmoor Farm, Red Tractor said: 'Following the exposure of poor welfare practices in May, Red Tractor immediately suspended the farm's certificate.
'Following a full investigation, the farm's Red Tractor certificate was reinstated provided strict conditions are met. The farm is now subject to regular unannounced spot checks, was required to immediately retrain staff in animal welfare and must share regular regulatory reports with Red Tractor.
'The farm was also required to install CCTV, and that footage is regularly reviewed by independent welfare experts.
'These terms, together with independent ongoing scrutiny, have been fully complied with since the reinstatement.
'In addition, Red Tractor conducted an unannounced welfare spot check on Northmoor Farm on Wednesday 13th August 2025, which did not find any issues relating to Red Tractor standards.'
A spokesperson for Cranswick said: 'Following the release of the North Moor Farm footage and as previously announced, we have commissioned a full review of our on-farm practices, which is being completed by an independent veterinarian professional.
'We will share the results of this investigation when it is complete.'
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The barrister claimed he has never submitted this much evidence to the CCRC and 'if this is not referred back to the Court of Appeal then one has to question the purpose of the CCRC'. A new TV documentary, Lucy Letby: Beyond Reasonable Doubt?, released earlier this month, brought new details surrounding the high-profile case into the public domain. Within the show, new photos emerged of the serial killer partying at her friend's wedding while she was on bail for the murder of seven babies. The images were released by her friend Dawn, who did not want to use her surname, who said that she was so glad she was there' at her wedding. She was so sure of her friend's innocence that she sought permission from the authorities to invite Letby to her wedding while she was on bail. Dawn (pictured) has stood by Letby despite her conviction and remains convinced of her innocence. She undermined claims that scribbled notes found in Letby's house were any sort of confession In a clip for the documentary, Dawn was seen looking through pictures of herself and Letby. The pair met as teenagers and have been friends ever since. She said: 'There is definitely lots of holiday snaps, birthdays, holidays I forgot we even had. 'The wedding photos are definitely my favourite. There is Lucy at my wedding. I am just so glad she could be there because it was while she was on bail, she had to get special permission to be allowed to come from police. 'I watched it all unfold and at every step of the way I just couldn't believe it, it was just beyond belief that it could be happening.' Dawn has stood by Letby despite her conviction and remains convinced of her innocence. She undermined claims that scribbled notes found in Letby's house were any sort of confession. She reveals that, at sixth form college together, both trained in peer-support counselling and learned of a common method to deal with anxieties – to write down your worst fears and feelings. The documentary also hears from Karen Rees, former head of urgent care nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Letby worked. Lucy Letby was devastated by the accusations against her, according to Karen Rees (pictured), former head of urgent care nursing at the Countess of Chester Hospital where Letby worked Sat in a car outside the hospital, Ms Rees said, 'I loved working here'. 'We were all shocked, really shocked,' she added, 'when I look back to when it all started, I don't think any of us thought that this storyline would ride out the way it has.' Between 2015 and 2016 nearly three times as many newborn babies had died than the normal numbers. Ms Rees said: I was made aware that the mortality rates appeared to be higher than they had been in the previous years. 'It was tough because everyone was trying, thinking please let us find a reason for this.' Letby was often accused of being cold and unfeeling during her trial for murder. But according to Ms Rees, she was in fact devastated by the accusations against her. Ms Rees recalled how Letby once told her: 'You're the only person that hasn't asked me, 'Have I purposely harmed anybody?'.' Meanwhile, Mr McDonald is shown in the documentary being questioned outside the CCRC offices in Birmingham by the Daily Mail's Liz Hull, who has covered the case from the beginning. He admits to camera that, despite the involvement of some of the most distinguished doctors in the world who say no crime was committed, an appeal may yet be refused on a technicality – that the objections to the guilty verdict could have been raised at the original trial, so it was not the court's fault that things went wrong. Hitchens said he believed the notes were written, as the documentary suggests, on the advice of Letby's counsellors and cannot be taken as sincere admissions of guilt The Trial of Lucy Letby: We leave no stone unturned in the case. Listen to the Mail's No.1 True Crime podcast everywhere now. Mr McDonald asks: 'If they dismiss this evidence, to say 'Well, it could have been called at trial... she's innocent but we are not going to take any notice of it because they could have done that, so we will let an innocent person stay in prison' – well, what is the logic of that?' Earlier this month, Peter Hitchens declared on the Daily Mail's True Crime Podcast that her case must be immediately 'reopened in the courts' following the release of the 'powerful' documentary. Mr Hitchens told Mail columnist Sarah Vine: 'I would think anybody who watched that documentary, whatever your feelings are, would think now it's time to reopen the case. 'The main thing that emerges in the documentary is how extraordinarily weak the prosecution's case was, containing no actual facts. 'Nobody should be happy that somebody is in prison until their death on the basis of a trial that has attracted so much doubt.'
