Investigations

Sandholme Farm, Thirsk, North Yorkshire

Name: Sandholme Farm, Thirsk, North Yorkshire
Uploaded: 2008-07-18T10:44:25+01:00
Channel: ash
Description: Instead of idyllic images of straw-filled pens amidst leafy trees and bathed in sunlight, we found squalor, filth, death and disease. Where the industry portrays pigs growing up outside with acres of space to roam, we found dead and dying piglets living in utterly barren, overcrowded pens. In the promotional images, pigs can root around

The British pig farming industry makes repeated claims that it has some of the highest welfare standards in the world. In March and April 2008, as part of a major investigation, Animal Aid visited 10 English pig farms spanning five counties: Cornwall, Somerset, Lincolnshire, North Yorkshire and East Riding of Yorkshire.

Published: July 2008

Animal farming

Instead of idyllic images of straw-filled pens amidst leafy trees and bathed in sunlight, we found squalor, filth, death and disease. Where the industry portrays pigs growing up outside with acres of space to roam, we found dead and dying piglets living in utterly barren, overcrowded pens. In the promotional images, pigs can root around in the earth. In reality, these inquisitive, lively and intelligent animals often had nothing but a metal chain – and sometimes nothing at all – to stimulate them and help fulfil their basic instincts.

Read the full report detailing the findings from all 10 farms Award Winning Farmers Exposed: The best of the Best report 2012

‘The pig farming industry has recently launched a media offensive to persuade the public that they should buy British because of the exceptionally high welfare standards on British pig farms. But rarely has there been such a huge disparity between marketing hype and truth.

‘If leading industry figures sincerely believe that welfare standards on typical British pig farms are so high, why do they not use images from their own farms in advertising campaigns? The answer surely lies in the obvious: if dead, dying, sick and injured pigs, existing in filthy, cramped conditions with nothing but a chain – and in some cases, nothing at all – to stimulate their inquisitive minds were shown, consumers would be appalled.

But while the idealised vision is perpetuated through expensive PR offensives, and while ‘celebrity’ farmers plead for the future of ‘high welfare’ pig farms, the wretched truth is pushed aside: that welfare standards on typical British pig farms are abysmally poor.’

Animal Aid Head of Campaigns, Kate Fowler-Reeves