Video highlights 'shocking farm conditions'

A British animal welfare group has released a video of conditions on pig farms which it claims may have contributed to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

An animal welfare group has released a video of conditions on pig farms which it claims may have contributed to the spread of foot-and-mouth disease.

Sussex-based campaign group Viva! says the 20-minute film, called Pig in Hell, shows a terrifying picture of filth, overcrowding, and widespread animal abuse.

The group claims all the farms featured in the video were chosen at random.

Britain's National Pig Association says it has not yet seen the film but accused Viva! of using claimed facts to smear a whole industry.

It says in addition to strict Government checks, more than 4,000 pig units and farms adheres to the industry's own Assured British Pigs scheme and are subject to quarterly checks by independent assessors, including vets.

Spokesman Ian Campbell said: "We are used to Viva! using extreme examples and even if what they are describing is true, the farms involved would never qualify for our scheme.

"Farms which are not assured under the scheme effectively face a very reduced market place and they have nothing to do with us."

Viva! director Juliet Gellatley said: "I challenge anyone to view our footage and defend this legalised animal abuse. It provides powerful evidence for why farming is faced with recurrent health scares and why diseases such as foot-and-mouth spread so rapidly."

A spokeswoman for the British Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food said: "There are rules to protect pig welfare on farms and we employ them in full in the UK. In addition, we have extra measures such as banning sow stalls and tethers.

"The regulations are strictly enforced by the State Veterinary Service and anyone who considers they have found a problem should report it to the SVS which will investigate within one working day."