Three men charged after pigs ‘beaten with forks and kicked in the head’

Three men have been charged after undercover footage showed pigs ‘jabbed with a pitchfork and kicked in the face and head’.

Other scenes show workers apparently slamming gates on pigs’ heads and laughing at the abuse and swearing at them.

The alleged abuse at a farm in Lincolnshire was filmed by animal rights activists after they were given a tip off.

The video was filmed in April this year at Fir Tree Farm in Goxhill, which is part of the Elsham Linc group, has a herd of around 10,000 pigs and the group is one of the country’s largest pig producers.

Concerns were raised with animal rights charity Animal Equality, who obtained the undercover footage.

Artis Grogprkevs, Gavin Hardy, and Troy Wagstaff have been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to landrace pigs.

In one incident, workers are seen kicking pigs in the face and head, often repeatedly.

In another clip, pigs are jabbed repeatedly with pitchforks and heard squealing in anguish.

Other scenes show the workers slamming gates on pigs’ heads and laughing at the abuse and swearing at them.

In February at the same farm, 70 pigs were killed and almost 200 rescued in a major fire which swept through the pens.

Artis Grogprkevs, 31, of Fir Tree Farm Cottage, Goxhill, Gavin Hardy, 39, of Greengate Lane, South Killingholme and Troy Wagstaff, 30, of Chantry Lane, Grimsby, have been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal between April 2, 2018 and April 27, 2018.

Grogprkevs has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to four landrace pigs, by inflicting blunt force trauma, physical violence and using a pitchfork inappropriately.

Hardy has been charged with causing unnecessary suffering to two landrace pigs, by inflicting blunt force trauma, physical violence and using a pitchfork inappropriately.

Wagstaff has been charged with two counts of causing unnecessary suffering to numerous landrace pigs, by inflicting blunt force trauma, physical violence and using a pitchfork inappropriately.

They were due to appear at Grimsby Magistrates Court on October 26, but the case was adjourned until November 22, as the RSPCA had not served the men the relevant paperwork.