Workers hit sick pigs at RSPCA-backed slaughterhouse supplying pork to Tesco and other supermarkets

Workers were filmed hitting suffering pigs at an RSPCA -backed slaughterhouse supplying pork to Tesco and other supermarkets .

The scenes of cruelty were captured in secret filming at C&K Meats in Eye, Suffolk, which kills up to 1,400 pigs a day in gas chambers – both intensively-reared and free-range.

The abattoir, which is endorsed by RSPCA Assured scheme, sells pork to Tesco, Co-op, Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons , Asda and Lidl among others. Some of it, such as bacon and sausages, is sold under differently branded labels.

C&K Meats says it takes animal welfare seriously, with regular inspections by vets.

But the Animal Justice Project (AJP) organisation, which shot the footage, said that despite CCTV being on site and auditors being present, the footage suggested numerous apparent breaches of animal-welfare laws including:

• Pigs being struck with instruments, causing pain and distress
• Visible injuries, lameness, wounds, abnormal growths and other deformities
• Unclean pens and poor hygiene practices
• Severe stress indicators, such as frothing at the mouth and heavy panting

Ayesha Smart, a barrister specialising in animal-welfare law, said the footage appeared to show ”multiple and clear breaches” of statutory welfare regulations.

The AJP investigator recorded a worker at C&K Meats saying: “Nothing we do for these pigs is for their benefit. From the moment they arrive, everything is geared towards their death.”

Another worker was recorded saying: “They do wind you up at times; anyone would think they didn’t want to die [laughs].”

Workers struck pigs with their hands and with paddles, even though the animals had nowhere to go, and pigs were rushed to the gas chambers with excessive force, the witnesses claimed.

Alick Simmons, a former UK government deputy chief vet, said: “There were several instances in the footage where the use of the paddle for short periods verged on the excessive.

“It is an offence to strike or kick animals in a slaughterhouse lairage.”

Footage showed some pigs frothing at the mouth and heavily panting. One pig unable to move was killed on arrival.

The investigators claimed pigs were forced to lie in faeces in filthy and overcrowded pens where they could not move freely, leading to fights and increased stress.

AJP claimed pigs arrived with injuries and in poor health, as complaints from staff about transportation delays suggested prolonged periods without food and water.

Dr Simmons added that the transport of unfit animals and pigs dying in transit suggests to him that insufficient care was taken when selecting pigs for transport.

He said that during unloading, several lame pigs and some otherwise apparently unfit to travel because of suspected respiratory distress and large umbilical hernias were seen.

He said that in his opinion “these animals should not have been transported and should have been treated or killed humanely at the point of origin”.

C&K Meats’ website says the company takes great pride in its high animal-welfare standards. “Animals are treated kindly and with respect from the moment they arrive. They are slaughtered quickly and humanely and we are one of the very few independent abattoirs to use gas stunning on animals,” it says.

But Ms Smart said she believes the findings indicated “recurrent breaches directly related to physical abuse, undue distress and neglect of the pigs’ welfare”.

Alice Brough, a pig vet-turned-activist, claimed: “This is typical of a UK abattoir. Enough pigs are found in acute distress, expressing fear and pain, to indicate that this is not an isolated or infrequent issue.”

Law firm Advocates for Animals is pressing authorities to take enforcement action.

It is understood a third-party audit took place earlier this week and no major concerns were found.

But AJP claims there is “a troubling pattern of regulatory failures and illegal practices” in slaughterhouses, because official data suggests fewer than 0.1 per cent of animals killed were involved in breaches of regulations last year. The organisation said it believed the true number was much higher.

The Independent has exposed repeated violations of animal-welfare laws and guidelines behind closed doors , including cows being beaten with electric prods and pigs cut while still alive ; pigs being beaten to death on a free-range farm ; sheep being killed without being properly stunned and thrown around; chickens collapsing “in agony” and piglets’ heads being smashed against walls.

A spokesperson for C&K meats said: “We are committed to ensuring high levels of animal welfare and take the subject matter very seriously. Independent official veterinarians employed by the government oversee our activities on a daily basis to ensure we continually meet animal-welfare standards.

“Strict policies are in place and our compliance with those aforementioned standards and policies is also regularly audited by internal and external bodies, both announced and unannounced.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We take animal welfare extremely seriously and expect all our suppliers to adhere to our high welfare standards. Any poor practice has no place in our supply chain, and having been made aware of this upsetting footage, we are urgently investigating with our supplier.”

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, said: “Our members know how important animal welfare is to their customers and take their responsibilities to animal welfare very seriously with regular audits being carried out to ensure that expected standards are being met. This is being investigated and action will be taken if any breaches to the high animal welfare standards our members uphold are confirmed.”

Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, the Co-op and Aldi aligned themselves with that statement. Asda and Lidl did not respond to requests to comment.

An RSPCA Assured spokesperson said: “Animal welfare is our absolute priority and we always investigate any allegations of poor welfare.

“As soon as we were made aware of the footage, which was taken more than a year ago, we launched an immediate and urgent investigation.

“As an investigation is ongoing, we are unable to comment further at this time.

“We take complaints of poor animal welfare very seriously and would always urge anyone with any concerns to contact us straight away, without delay. This is so that we can immediately investigate, visit the premises and address any welfare issues as a priority.”