On 6th July 2026, Lawyers for Animals initiated a private prosecution against North Moor Farm in Market Rasen, Lincolnshire, England, for alleged offences involving the treatment of pigs in 2024. Elsham Linc Limited, a subsidiary of Cranswick Country Foods PLC, and North Moor Farm’s manager, Andy Pentecost, have been charged with a total of 30 alleged animal welfare offences said to have occurred between 19th February and 7th March 2024.
Lawyers for Animals has issued proceedings following an investigation into conditions and practices at the commercial pig-breeding and killing site, which included undercover evidence later assessed by an expert veterinary review. Elsham Linc Limited and Pentecost have been summoned to appear at Nottingham Justice Centre on 26th August 2026, where the court will first consider the case.
According to the charge list, Elsham Linc Limited faces 23 offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (England) Regulations 2015, and the Animal By-Products (Enforcement) (England) Regulations 2013, relating to alleged unnecessary suffering, routine mutilations such as teeth grinding and tail docking, failure to meet pigs’ welfare needs, unlawful killing, and improper handling of a dead sow. Pentecost is charged with seven offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 and the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing Regulations, including alleged unnecessary suffering, permitting routine mutilations, and failures in lawful restraint and killing methods.
The case arises from Animal Justice Project’s 2024 investigation at North Moor Farm, which documented concerns about the treatment of pigs held there. Lawyers for Animals, represented by solicitors at Schofield Sweeney LLP, stresses that its role is limited to assessing whether cases meet the threshold for charges under the Code for Crown Prosecutors and the Code of Conduct for Private Prosecutors, and that only the court can decide whether any offences have been proved.
Ayesha Smart, Legal Director of Lawyers for Animals, said, “This prosecution concerns serious allegations relating to the treatment and welfare of pigs at a commercial farm… Having carefully considered the available evidence, we have concluded that there is sufficient evidence to bring these charges and that it is in the public interest to prosecute.”
