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*Warning: this article contains an image that some might find distressing*
A British pig meat brand named “Jolly Hog” has come under fire for a recent animated video depicting its so-called “high welfare” farms.
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The brand shared the clip to LinkedIn. In the caption, it stated that it wanted to show what the labels “RSPCA Assured” and “British Outdoor Bred Pork” mean. At the start of the video, a voiceover claims that animal welfare is the “number one priority” at Jolly Hog.
“We want all our pigs to be well-cared for and respected, and that starts at the very beginning,” they add. “Our outdoor piglets are born outside in comfy bedded arcs on RSPCA Assured farms. They have access to large outdoor paddocks where they can run, play, and explore the environment.” The voiceover goes onto explain that, once weaned, pigs are brought inside to “finish growing in spacious airy barns.” They claim that the barns offer “plenty of bedding and lots of fun things for them to explore and play with like straw, balls, and other toys.”
According to Jolly Hog, the company does not use cages, and the farms are regularly checked by RSPCA Assured assessors.
Read more: It’s Rare That Farmed Pigs Get ‘Happily Ever Afters’ – But This Family Of 11 Did
The reality of UK pig farming
A number of commenters took issue with the claims made in the video. Among them was Andy Shovel, an entrepreneur and cofounder of plant-based meat company THIS.
“I tried to not comment. I really did,” he wrote. “But your pigs are put in a gas chamber when they’re 6-12 months old (natural lifespan 15-20 years). Then Co2 is fed into the chamber, which causes excruciating pain during their suffocation. The Co2 causes a buildup of acid on any part of the pig which has a wet membrane, like the airways, lungs, eyes and snout. Scientists’ best guess is that it gives them the sensation of being burned alive. I notice that wasn’t in the vid.”
Gassing is the most common method of pig slaughter in the UK, used in around 88 percent of cases. The controversial method is permitted under RSPCA Assured, despite the fact it’s widely believed to inflict huge pain and suffering on pigs.
Does ‘high welfare’ farming exist?
Shovel went on to state that Jolly Hog “aren’t the worst” and that the company is “probably one of the best.”
“The trouble is, the ‘best’ is still fairly awful in my view,” he added. “I’m sure your team and founders are all lovely people, so I don’t relish in having a go. In case you’re ever wondering why I pick on you – it’s because of your brand name. I think you should change it. There just isn’t anything jolly about being put in a gas chamber at 5-10% of your natural lifespan, then painfully suffocating.”
While most pigs in the UK are factory farmed, it’s true that Jolly Hog’s pork does come from RSPCA Assured farms that are considered by some to be high welfare. The “outdoor bred” label refers to pigs that are born outside, and have access to the outdoors until they are weaned (usually when they’re around a month old). This label is different from “outdoor reared,” which denotes pigs who are brought inside when they are 10 weeks old. This means that “outdoor bred” pigs spend the vast majority of their lives indoors in sheds.
The idea that RSPCA Assured farms are inevitably high welfare is widely disputed. Earlier this year, a major investigation by Animal Rising into RSPCA Assured farms found hundreds of breaches of legal standards of welfare. While we don’t know if any of the farms supplied Jolly Hog, pig farms were found to have the highest number of violations. A separate investigation by Animal Justice Project – released in August – found pigs being hit with paddles and suffering from severe injuries at a slaughterhouse that supplied Jolly Hog. In a statement to the Mirror, a Jolly Hog spokesperson said: “All of our bacon and sausages are higher welfare, and across our entire supply chain we only work with suppliers who are externally audited and RSPCA Assured. We support the RSPCA Assured investigation.”
But – despite claims of welfare – Jolly Hog chose not to use actual images from its farms and slaugherhouses in its new video. Another commenter on the LinkedIn post, vegan board game entrepreneur Rory Cockshaw, questioned why the company chose an animation rather than real video footage, if indeed the farms were so high welfare.
“Are you not proud enough that you’ll show actual footage of the pig’s lives, from birth ’til death, inclusive?,” he wrote. “I’ve seen so many animations of how high welfare standards are, but nobody wants to show the reality. Telling, much?”
This article was updated on August 27, 2024, to add in information about Animal Justice Project’s investigation.
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