“Since our first investigation, the farm owners have invested thousands of pounds into increasing security at Hogwood,” Gellatley wrote. “Rather than improve conditions for these poor animals, they invested in making it more difficult for the public to see the truth.”
Investigators acting on a tip visited a pig farm tucked away in
Cambridgeshire, in rural England, in 2017.
The Hogwood farm was considered one of the “best” in the UK —
carried by the Red Tractor label and supplying animal “products” to
supermarket giants and producers, including Tesco and Cranswick.
But the conditions shocked the investigators from nonprofit Viva!
They documented what they saw and then turned their evidence over to
Red Tractor, Tesco, and The Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) —
the executive agency responsible for overseeing animal and plant
health.
The immediate response: Nothing.
Red Tractor initially said they didn’t find any breaches at the
farm. Tesco said they were “satisfied” that Hogwood was operating
within minimum guidelines. APHA also declined to take action. The
investigative team realized they were up against more than just
intense suffering at one abysmal farm; they were facing an entire
exploitative industry, ingrained to protect its own.
“Assured Food Standards licenses the Red Tractor label; it was
launched in 2000 by the National Farmers Union of England and
Wales,” Viva! wrote on their website. “If a farmer wants to have
their produce marked as Red Tractor Assured, they pay a licence fee
each year and are inspected by Red Tractor. It is run by the farming
industry for the farming industry.”
But the investigators, haunted by the suffering of pigs they saw
inside the facility, committed to not giving up.
....
Please read the ENTIRE ARTICLE HERE.