Imagine walking into a place that’s supposed to care for animals and instead witnessing pure cruelty. Well, that’s exactly what happened at a pig farm in Lincolnshire, where recent covert footage has sent shockwaves through the UK.

Three of the nation’s largest supermarkets—Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s—have taken immediate action by suspending supplies from Somerby Top Farm after the Animal Justice Project (AJP) released heart-wrenching video evidence depicting workers abusing defenseless piglets. The footage shows workers viciously kicking piglets and hitting them with boards and paddles, leaving these innocent animals writhing in pain.

But the horror doesn’t stop there. It’s been revealed that injured pigs with open wounds were crammed into filthy pens, with some left lame and suffering without help. This disturbing footage, filmed covertly between May 2024 and January 2025, has raised serious questions about the welfare practices at this farm.

After learning about the footage, Tesco, Asda, and Sainsbury’s wasted no time, suspending any supply agreements with Somerby Top Farm, which also serves Morrisons. This farm was acquired by Cranswick, Britain’s largest pork supplier, just last year and had been certified by the British animal welfare and food assurance scheme, Red Tractor, less than a month before these troubling revelations.

According to the AJP, the hidden cameras revealed that legally mandated welfare checks were often disregarded, resulting in visible injuries being ignored. One particularly shocking case involved a pig suffering from a ruptured hernia, bleeding profusely while workers conducted official inspections of 1,000 pigs in as little as 90 seconds.

The distressing footage also featured “multiple botched killings” of lame piglets, leaving them in agonizing pain for over 30 seconds after being shot. An agonizing moment was captured when one piglet, clearly suffering, was left to die for 33 long hours, as other piglets resorted to cannibalism, feasting on its open wound. The film’s narrator described the horrific scene, saying, “He had no escape from being eaten alive.”

Amidst this chaos, Red Tractor responded to the footage by immediately suspending Somerby Top Farm’s certification and referring the case to the Animal and Plant Health Agency. The organization announced it would conduct a thorough review of both current and past footage, compliance, and staffing at the farm.

“The footage was only presented to us this month, and the delay is concerning,” a spokesperson from Red Tractor stated, arguing that it raised issues about the activists’ motivations. They encourage anyone with concerns to utilize their anonymous whistleblowing service.

Cranswick, on the other hand, expressed their horror at the treatment of pigs at Somerby Top Farm, emphasizing that the health and welfare of their animals is their top priority. The company stated in a formal response that they are appalled by the footage and have already acted to improve conditions by installing CCTV at all their indoor pig farms and retraining workers.

“The staff involved are no longer with the business,” they declared, pledging a swift investigation as soon as the AJP shared the shocking video.

Morrisons has yet to comment on the unfolding situation, but for now, the focus remains on the welfare of the pigs at Somerby Top Farm and the accountability of those responsible for their suffering.