I bring you our 20th undercover exposé: RSPCA Assured pig slaughterhouse, C&K Meats, located in Suffolk. Our investigator worked inside the abattoir, revealing countless horrors which are usually silenced by a smokescreen of welfare assurances. As featured in The Mirror.

The terrifying final moments for up to 7,000 pigs each week were captured showing systemic failings, routine abuse and an abundance of heartbreaking suffering.

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C&K Meats is renowned for being RSPCA Assured, Red Tractor approved and under surveillance of CCTV. The abattoir kills a high number of pigs from ‘higher welfare’ free-range companies like Peddars Pigs, BQP, The Jolly Hog and Wayland Farms. It also stocks major supermarkets including Tesco, Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Morrisons, Waitrose, Asda, Lidl and Aldi. Our secret footage has uncovered the grave reality of what pigs face in their final moments.

Our findings are nightmarish. From the moment they arrived at the slaughterhouse, to being in the holding pens, to being rushed through to the gas chamber, the pigs were terrified. Dead pigs arrived in the back of transporters, having died during the journey to the industrial-sized abattoir. Another pig died from a heart attack whilst being moved between lairages, who was later coldly mocked by a worker. Multiple pigs didn’t even make it to the gas chamber. One became ‘downed’ – unable to stand up – and was shot inside the holding pen. The shocking footage of their writhing, bleeding body is never going to be shown on a TV advert or in a supermarket aisle.

Another pig became so distressed that their body shook violently, frozen in terror. She was later shot and her throat slit in the unloading area. As her body thrashed on the concrete floor, other pigs were forced to walk by her, an experience so frightening it’s hard to fathom. 

“The video shows some poor practice which needs to be addressed. During unloading several lame pigs and pigs otherwise apparently unfit to travel (respiratory distress, large umbilical hernia, etc) were shown.  The welfare of these animals is likely to have been compromised prior to loading but transportation is likely to have exacerbated any problems.  These animals should not have been transported. There are several instances where the use of the paddle for short periods verged on the excessive” - Alick Simmons, Former UK Government Deputy Chief Veterinary Officer and Former Food Standards Agency Veterinary Director 

The level of suffering inside the abattoir was excruciatingly high at every stage: workers aggressively shouted at pigs hitting them with paddles and boards; pigs desperately ran to drinkers after being unloaded after hours with no water; those in pens showed obvious signs of heat stress as they frothed at the mouth and panted in an attempt to cool down; holding pens were loaded at more than double the stated capacity, causing fights to break out between scared individuals.

Many of the pigs arrived at the slaughterhouse with an array of painful health issues: protruding hernias, deep inflamed sores, grossly overgrown feet, bloody scratches, bitten off tails, bite marks and lacerations.

The lifetime of abuses that these pigs suffered on the farms that they came from were painted all over their bodies, both figuratively and literally, as pigs arrived covered in spray paint. Graffitied and injured, their bodies reflected how pig farmers see these sentient individuals as commodities to exploit for profit.

“Having reviewed the footage over a number of days at C&K Meats, there are multiple and clear breaches of the statutory instruments designed to protect animal welfare. Many of the pigs in the footage show significant degrees of stress, above and beyond that expected in a slaughterhouse environment. Recurrent breaches relate directly to physical abuse of the pigs, acts in contravention of good practice which cause the pigs undue distress, and neglect of their levels of pain and suffering.” - Ayesha Smart, Crown Court Judge

It all ended inside the gas chamber. Workers beat the pigs with paddles as they pushed them closer towards the automated machinery. Tensions rose as they became increasingly scared. They had nowhere to escape to. The gas chamber was where their screams finally fell silent.

Gassing pigs is an excruciatingly painful method of CO2 stunning, commonly known to be aversive (causing them high levels of pain) as they slowly suffocate. It is deemed ‘humane’ by the pig industry. Approximately 86% of pigs in the UK are gassed – around 10 million pigs every year. The pigs are trapped inside a gondola where the oxygen levels are dropped and other gases like CO2 are pumped in. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has stated that gassing “causes pain, fear and respiratory distress”, and DEFRA has made a similar statement.

Welfare assurances and CCTV will never protect animals inside of facilities where they are going to be slaughtered. Government data has revealed a sickening lack of any enforcement or repercussions for illegalities and abuses. Less than 1% of reported non-compliances result in being referred for investigation. Whereas 43% of ‘severe’ incidents (the most serious category) pathetically resulted in verbal advice, which would not have changed anything

But how can we trust the government to ‘protect’ any animal when they are using our tax money to fund slaughterhouses? In the past 12 months, £7 million has been offered to abattoir owners – including for the creation of new and mobile slaughterhouses – in relief packages. This is taxpayers’ money directly funding slaughter. It is being used to uphold a violent system which inhibits the progression of a just and sustainable society. This cannot continue. 

We must end the public funding of slaughterhouses. Members of the public are unknowingly funding these abuses and until the government stops providing monetary packages to the industry, we cannot see societal progression. The mere presence of abattoirs violates social progress but we can be the generation to see all slaughterhouses close their doors. We can be the generation that ends this horror show.

We must:

• End the public funding of slaughterhouses
• Urge the government to create an Action Plan to help abattoir owners leave the industry
• As individuals, choose vegan and opt for a plant-based diet

Sign our petition to Sir Keir Starmer, UK Prime Minister, and Steve Reed, Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, demanding an end to public funding of slaughterhouses.

In the past five years, we have brought you 20 significantly heartbreaking undercover investigations. We must keep going until the tide turns and more consumers learn of the atrocities within animal agriculture. We couldn’t do this without your unwavering support and although our findings above are extremely distressing, let it fuel all of us to continue fighting for an equitable and just future for all.

As always,

For the animals.