Horrifying undercover footage shows pig farm worker slamming piglets into concrete floor while others are thrown into metal troughs as food regulators launch investigation
Food regulators are investigating after an animal rights group claimed to have filmed a pig farm worker killing piglets by ruthlessly smashing them into the floor.
The unnamed man is seen 'knocking' young piglets - a process of slamming their heads onto a concrete floor, according to vegan campaigners.
The alleged incident was filmed at Calvesley farm, a breeding facility in Berkshire.
Footage shot by activist group Viva! Campaigns appears to show workers slicing off piglet's tails with no pain relief and pulling pig's teeth out with pliers.
Officials at welfare standards Red Tractor say the footage is 'very disappointing' and has suspended the farm's certification.
Animal rights group Viva! obtained footage from Calvesley farm breeding facility in Berkshire, where one video claims to show a man brutally killing young piglets
Horrific images show the aftermath of 'knocking', where piglets are slammed into concrete
A gloved hand holds up piglet tails, which are allegedly sliced off with 'barbaric hot knives' without any pain relief given to the small animals
They also installed cameras at Whiteshoot, a fattening and finishing centre in Oxfordshire - both owned Winterbrook Farm Partners.
Viva! claim to have filmed a catalogue of disturbing scenes including piglets dumped in a gangway and writhing in pain.
The group says the films shows an entire shed of sick animals being the victims of bullying and cannibalism and covered in lacerations and bites, with the most chilling footage showing a man killing small piglets by slamming their heads onto a concrete floor.
In another clip they say a newborn piglet is 'pulled' from its stall and 'ruthlessly thrown' into a metal trough, while further visual documentation claims to reveal using a 'barbaric hot knife' to slice the piglets' tails back to a stump and a 'pair of pliers to clip away their teeth'.
They say at Cavlesley sows are culled when 'they fail to produce adequate litters and sick or spent animals will also be killed'.
Discarded pliers are shown in the breeding facility, which Viva! claim are used to pull teeth
The bloodied entrails of piglets were seen left trailing out of a rudimentary storage shelf
The group claims footage at Cavlesley shows workers cramming corpses into the furnace, including sows and piglets.
Viva! says some of the scenes are in 'complete violation of the Government's guidance on how to handle 'fallen stock'.
The group says the investigations took place over the course of three weeks, using hidden cameras.
Viva!'s founder and director Juliet Gellatley commented: 'Our team witnessed appalling conditions in this investigation.
'It documents the systematic abuse of farmed pigs, whose short lives are filled with nothing but misery and pain.
'While some pigs were ruthlessly mutilated with barbaric hot knives and pliers, others were left to die slow, agonising deaths from their injuries - all for the sake of food.
'These are not aberrant farms - they are typical of what is permitted by government and retailers.
An instrument used during the daily operations inside the pig farm is pictured on the wall
Large pigs are seen cramped into small spaces with no room to turn or manoeuvre
'Our relationship with animals can no longer be just focused on exploitation, the way meat is produced is now considered to be a global threat.
'It's not just a case of banning wet markets, although that can't come soon enough.
'We need to stop factory farming too and are calling on consumers to choose vegan.'
A spokesperson for Red Tractor, a product certification programme, said: 'We were very disappointed by some of the images in the footage.
'Protecting animal health and welfare is one of our top priorities. Red Tractor requires all members to meet every standard, every day and take any allegations of breaches seriously.
'We immediately launched an investigation and as a result the farms' Red Tractor Certification have been suspended and sanctions put in place to address the issues raised through this process.'
Horrifying undercover footage shows pig farm worker slamming piglets into concrete floor while others are thrown into metal troughs as food regulators launch investigation
![Horrifying undercover footage shows pig farm worker slamming piglets into concrete floor while others are thrown into metal troughs as food regulators launch investigation]()
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June 23, 2020
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