Tesco suspends English dairy farm over alleged mistreatment of cows
The farm, on Broughton Road in Stoney Stanton, south-west of Leicester, is understood to provide Tesco with milk through Arla, the dairy co-operative. Tesco said it expected suppliers to meet its animal-welfare requirements and described parts of the recordings as distressing. The retailer said farms had been suspended pending investigation, adding that some premises appearing in the footage did not supply Tesco. It said allegations would be investigated and immediate action taken against suppliers that failed to meet its standards.
AJP said cameras at Oak Lodge recorded 25 instances of severe lameness during two days. These represented half the 50 serious cases documented during its year-long investigation of farms supplying Arla. Lameness involves difficulty walking, generally associated with pain in a cow’s feet or legs. According to the campaign group, lameness represented 25 of the 35 possible welfare violations identified at Oak Lodge.
The group also alleged that staff tugged cows’ tails and drove a mechanical sanding machine into one animal. Its account described severely lame cows needing between 25 and 30 minutes to climb into their cubicles, with few apparently receiving treatment. These allegations formed part of AJP’s examination of animal handling and welfare at farms supplying the co-operative.
Arla said its own inquiry had established instances of behaviour it considered unacceptable and below its standards. The co-operative said it had halted milk collections at several farms involved and put them on action plans. It also said assessments of several other farms appearing in the coverage had identified no problems with the way animals were handled.
Arla’s announced measures include compulsory yearly training in animal handling for every farm worker, stricter limits on certain handling methods and equipment, and an increase in inspections without advance notice. Tesco separately said it took welfare seriously and would investigate allegations fully, including those involving farms outside its own supply chain.
AJP’s investigation, titled The Big Milk Con, covered Arla suppliers in 13 counties in England over a year. The organisation said Jenny Mace, an independent animal-welfare specialist, identified 360 possible welfare violations at ten farms monitored by cameras. Professor Andrew Knight, a veterinarian who examined the recordings, described a system “failing the animals it claims to protect”.
Claire Palmer, AJP’s founder and executive director, criticised Tesco and Morrisons for relying on Arla, saying a board director and senior representatives of the co-operative ran farms included in the investigation. She argued that Arla should not assess its own conduct. AJP said it had approached Trading Standards authorities in every area containing an investigated farm. Leicestershire County Council said its Trading Standards service follows a policy of neither confirming investigations into businesses or individuals nor confirming enforcement action.
