A brutal business: alleged beatings and abuse on UK pig farms | Harriet Grant

A Guardian investigation has uncovered claims of violence on a Lincolnshire farm. The owners deny this, and have launched an inquiry. But do working conditions in this intensive industry bring a risk of mistreatment of livestock?One morning in May, Matthew's phone beeped. "Watch Sky News now. Pigs!" The footage was brutal; farm-workers kicking pigs in the face and head, jabbing them with pitchforks and laughing as they slammed a gate on to an animal's head.The owners of the farm - the Godfrey family - immediately launched a full RSPCA-backed investigation. Four people at Fir Tree farm lost their jobs. The Godfreys said: "We are shocked by the actions of those involved as their abhorrent behaviour does not represent our business. We are a family-run farm where the care and welfare of our pigs is paramount." Continue reading...