‘Outdoor-bred’ RSPCA Assured pigs found ‘suffering and lame’ in farm barns

Pigs reared on a farm for “outdoor-bred” RSPCA Assured meat labels were found with what a vet says were advanced infections or suffering “prolonged discomfort”.

Stockcroft Pigs, one of Britain’s largest “outdoor-bred” meat companies, supplies pork to several high-street brands, including at least two supermarkets and a fast-food chain.

The animals were filmed in what appeared to be a crowded “hospital pen” with limited bedding that was heavily soiled and with minimal enrichment, in a video filmed secretly by activists.

A former pig-industry vet who examined the footage said she believed some were so ill that they should have been euthanised weeks earlier.

The scenes were filmed at a Herefordshire pig-rearing farm contracted to Oxfordshire-based Stockcroft Pigs. Stockcroft said the animals were being treated on a vet’s advice, and some parts of the clips were not representative of the farm.

But the Animal Justice Project organisation, which obtained the footage, claimed some pigs were too injured to walk. Their footage appeared to show that one was so badly injured that it was limping and visibly deteriorated over six weeks of filming.

The investigators said the only 'enrichment' in the pen was a single suspended plastic bottle – for up to 40 pigs.

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After The Independent showed the footage to RSPCA Assured, the charity issued the farm a formal warning and sanctions.

But Animal Justice Project says the video demonstrated that animals suffer even under “high-welfare”, “outdoor-bred” and RSPCA Assured labels, which led shoppers to believe that animals live entirely outdoors, on grass and free to roam.

The organisation says there is a huge gulf between supermarket marketing – which depicts “outdoor-bred” pigs as always outdoors – and the reality, when more than 90 per cent of all UK pigs are reared indoors in intensive systems. Even in “outdoor-bred” systems, piglets born outside are usually moved indoors at just four to 10 weeks old, and only around 3 or 4 per cent of UK pigs spend their whole lives outdoors.

BBC Springwatch presenter Iolo Williams said: “The term ‘outdoor-bred’ suggests a life spent outside, yet these pigs are indoors for around 80 per cent of their lives. That disconnect between language and reality is something consumers deserve to understand.”

The activists say their findings raise questions about how consistently RSPCA Assured standards are applied to the 25 per cent of UK pigs covered by it.

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Dr Alice Brough, a former pig-industry vet, said the animals showed signs of tail biting, with infection apparently spreading from untreated wounds into their joints, causing severe abscesses.

“This occurs when injuries are missed or managed far too late,” she said.

“This level of pain is untreatable, and these animals should have been euthanised long before now.

“Moving them to a hospital pen only to leave them suffering raises serious questions about why they were not humanely put out of their misery.”

By law, animals suffering unmanageable pain must be euthanised promptly.

Animal Justice Project called for Stockcroft’s RSPCA Assured certification to be suspended, pending the findings of an investigation, and for a government review of animal-welfare labelling, including the terms “outdoor-bred”, “high-welfare” and “free-range”.

A spokesperson for the National Pig Association, also speaking on behalf of Stockcroft Pigs, said: “Whilst we, Stockcroft Pigs and the farmer acknowledge that some of the elements in the footage are not examples of best possible practice, others are not an accurate portrayal of that particular farm; specifically the pigs featured were isolated in a hospital pen and being medicated under veterinary advice, and how the bedding material used was depicted.

“Animal welfare is always a priority, and as such the business has instigated a process to address any issues in future. Furthermore, the farm in question has cooperated fully with numerous investigations and found to be compliant with all requirements.”

An RSPCA Assured spokesperson said they launched an urgent investigation. “One of our scheme investigation managers carried out an unannounced visit to the farm within 24 hours of receiving the footage,” she said. “They were reassured to see the pigs on site at the time were clean, active and had plenty of enrichment and straw to root around in.

“However, as animal welfare is our top priority, we must be confident that the RSPCA’s welfare standards are being followed at all times, which is why we’ve issued the farm with a formal warning and strict sanctions, including another unannounced visit within six months.

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“We’ve also given the farm additional advice on keeping bedding topped up to help maintain clean, dry conditions and provide sufficient enrichment.

“The injured pigs seen in the footage had been segregated into a hospital pen and were already receiving treatment and care when they were filmed. Decisions about whether euthanasia is necessary are made by the farmer, often in conjunction with their vet, based on the best welfare interests of each animal.

“Some of the dark marks seen on the pigs in the footage were ink identification marks, a legal requirement when moving pigs off a farm. This site also uses green oak shaving as an absorbent material placed under the straw, which can make the area darker in appearance."

Other sanctions imposed by the RSPCA include additional charges to cover the cost of the charity’s visit. And any further non-compliance found within six months would trigger stronger action, which may include suspension or removal from its Assured scheme.

The government’s animal-welfare strategy, unveiled before Christmas, promises ministers will “continue exploring how improved food labelling, including method-of-production labelling, could improve animal welfare”.

A spokesperson for one supermarket supplied by Stockcroft said: “We take animal welfare extremely seriously and our customers should be reassured that any indication of our high welfare standards being breached would be immediately investigated.”

A fast-food chain supplied by Stockcroft did not respond to requests for comment.

Andrew Opie, director of food and sustainability at the British Retail Consortium, said: “Any breaches to animal welfare are totally unacceptable and will be investigated immediately, with swift action taken as necessary.”