Arla faces second undercover welfare probe with 360 alleged breaches

Animal Justice Project documented 360 alleged welfare breaches across 16 farms in 13 English counties during a year-long undercover operation. The investigation, which ran from October 2025 to September 2026, filmed undercover at 10 dairies and visited six more during a public open day. Footage from farms supplying Arla Foods, Britain's largest dairy company, has led to an urgent investigation by the cooperative.

Arla opened the probe after independent animal welfare experts reviewed the footage. The investigation covered farms that also supply major retailers Tesco and Morrisons, as well as coffee chain Starbucks. Animal Justice Project is now calling for Tesco and Morrisons to suspend five linked farms.

Specific welfare incidents

The footage revealed severe and repeated animal mistreatment including lameness, physical abuse, and inadequate care across multiple farms. Of the 360 alleged breaches, 140 related to rough handling. Severe lameness was recorded at six of the 10 filmed farms, with Oak Lodge Farm alone accounting for 25 of 50 severe lameness cases.

At Littlewood Farm in Frampton, employees hit udders, used a hose to strike cows’ rear legs and punched an animal. At another Dorset farm, a worker repeatedly brought an overhead milking-parlour lever down onto animals’ necks and backs. Workers at Oak Lodge Farm in Stoney Stanton, a Tesco supplier, drove their knees into cows’ spines, pinched their sides and pulled tails.

Cows at Kingston Hill Farm in Oxfordshire were struck with metal pipes and made to walk while lame. At Lower House Farm in Worcestershire, farmer Doug Roper pushed a metal gate forcefully into a cow to make it move and twisted another animal’s tail hours after calving. A worker kicked a cow twice and twisted its tail at Bramley Farm.

The investigation documented alleged mistreatment at two Dorset farms belonging to George Holmes, an Arla director since 2024. David Christensen, operator of Kingston Hill Farm, has served on Arla’s board of representatives since 2012.

Conditions at Longlands Farm in Derbyshire were particularly severe. Five cows were unable to stand for over 10 days. An undernourished cow received no water for 31 hours. A cow unable to rise was lifted at the hips and dragged behind a farm vehicle over concrete. Recordings showed repeated kicking, kneeing and pulling at the cow’s nostrils, with its front legs becoming bloodied and injured. The animal was later punched, pulled by its face and left hanging from the lifting equipment. Two young children were recorded kicking and slapping cattle lying in the pens.

At Marsh Farm in Dorset, a calf’s carcass remained in a plastic wheelbarrow for three days. During an open day at Longlands, the farmer told investigators he used electric shocks to move cattle away from robotic milking machines, a practice prohibited by industry standards.

Industry response and accountability

Arla has launched an urgent investigation and suspended farmers following previous similar exposés, while experts question the effectiveness of its assurance system. This is the second Animal Justice Project investigation prompting Arla action. The cooperative suspended a farmer after a 2025 exposé at Lowfields Farm.

Andrew Knight, a veterinary professor specialising in animal welfare, said recurring failures across farms within Arla’s assurance arrangements suggested the system was failing animals. He noted that current rules allow some practices shown, including removing calves from mothers within hours of birth, and said legal compliance and assurance labels could not guarantee good welfare.

Jenny Mace, an independent animal-welfare specialist, said the evidence indicated recurring, systemic illegality rather than isolated misconduct. She said several bodies, including government advisers, had concluded that most criminal conduct on British farms went unprosecuted. Mace questioned reliance on self-assessment, noting that Arla’s assurance system provides 48 hours’ warning before a spot check at a flagged farm.

Paul Burr, president of the veterinary association, called for prompt investigation and immediate care for suffering animals. He said farm veterinarians would continue supporting welfare standards and challenging poor practice.

Claire Palmer, the Animal Justice Project’s executive director, said investigators repeatedly encountered walking difficulties, calves being dragged and forced to feed, mothers calling for newborns, and violent or rough handling. She stated those recurring observations conflicted with Arla’s descriptions of healthy, comfortable cattle receiving individual care.

Arla reported that 99.8% of audited farmers had no major mobility issues in 2025. However, lameness was only counted as major when over 15% of a herd was affected, and just 35% of farms were audited that year. The destination of milk from individual farms is not publicly transparent. Arla's promised urgent investigation into the 360 alleged welfare breaches is now underway.