A pig stares at an activist’s camera from inside its enclosure (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

Too weak to defend themselves, this horrific footage and pictures show pigs being eaten alive at a ‘high welfare’ farm.

They were revealed by animal rights activists and have sparked investigations by the government and Red Tractor, a food assurance scheme, which has suspended the farm’s membership.

The campaign group Meat The Victims said they were monitoring the pigs for weeks before entering the McGuckian Brothers farm in Ballymena, Northern Ireland, on Tuesday night.

WARNING: This article contains distressing images and footage of dead and injured animals

Shocking pictures posted to social media show dead pigs with bloodied faces strewn over the floor of the farm.

Other pigs have gaping wounds in their hind legs, which have been slowly gnawed by other animals in the pen.

The undercover investigation was led by Tuesday Goti, a full-time vegan activist who said the experience was ‘absolutely harrowing’.

The weakest pigs were defenceless to being eaten alive (Picture: @casperhilt)

She told Metro.co.uk: ‘One of the pigs actually had a hole in both of her sides and she was being cannibalised.

‘They were eating her while she was alive. She didn’t even have the strength to scream.

‘She was just softly whimpering and there was nothing we could do but watch that.’

Tuesday was joined by activists from around the world, from as far as Canada, New Zealand, Spain and Germany.

She said: ‘Obviously with the climate crisis, so many of them didn’t fly. They took 27-hour journeys on coaches and ferries to protect the planet as much as they could.

‘That’s how dedicated they were to coming to this action.’

This pig has gaping holes in its legs but is still alive (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

A pig is filmed cannibalising another pig (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

The protest began at 4.30am and ended at 7am when the activists said they came to an agreement with the farmer and police to ‘liberate’ one pig.

Tuesday said: ‘The farmer agreed we could take one and one of the police officers asked me “did I have one in mind?”

‘I said “no” and he said “what about that one over there, he has a nice face.”

‘They started talking about naming him and they were absolutely in shock.

‘One police officer asked me “are all farms like this?” and she had tears in her eyes speaking to me.

The activists said they came to an agreement to ‘liberate’ one pig (Picture: Meat The Victims)

The activists said a police officer picked Connor out because he had a ‘nice face’ (Picture: Meat The Victims)

‘So that’s how we chose that pig, otherwise we would have chosen the healthiest one.

‘There’s no point liberating a pig that will die tomorrow.’

The pig was named Connor and has been taken to an animal sanctuary.

Speaking on behalf of the farm, the Ulster Farmers Union (UFU) criticised the activists’ social media ‘grandstanding’, and said their claims do not reflect standards on pig farms across Northern Ireland.

A UFU spokesperson said: ‘As a body representing farmers, the UFU will never condone or seek to justify poor animal welfare standards. It has discussed this case with DAERA and the body that certifies standards in the industry.

‘The UFU backs any official investigation undertaken on legitimate animal welfare grounds.

‘If what has been claimed proves accurate, the UFU will not seek to justify it.

‘But it cannot accept the tactics of breaking into a farm, causing fear to individuals and seeking to hold them to ransom for a publicity opportunity.

Dead pigs were pictured left on the floor at the farm (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

Animal rights activists said it was a ‘harrowing’ experience (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

‘The end justifies the means defence simply does not hold water. If there were legitimate concerns there are avenues through which these could have been raised.

‘The protesters demonstrated a lack of real knowledge of the consequences of their actions.

‘Protestors landing on farm has welfare impacts, particularly in the farrowing house, where they risk causing abortions/still births or triggering sows to panic.

‘Animal welfare legislation exists for sound reasons; if rules are broken farmers must face the consequences.

‘But that must be via official channels such as phoning these welfare concerns through to a DAERA direct office which would have resulted in an immediate welfare inspection of the farm, and not from grandstanding activists on social media.’

The Ulster Farmers Union criticised the tactics used by the activists (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

Red Tractor said they conducted an unannounced inspection of the farm within the last six months and did not witness any of the conditions seen in the footage and pictures.

A Red Tractor spokesperson for said: ‘We were shocked by the images we saw, protecting animal health and welfare is one of our top priorities and we take any breaches to our Standards very seriously.

‘We launched an immediate investigation to fully understand the extent of the issues on the farm, and to substantiate the claims.’

Red Tractor added the farm cannot sell any pigs with its assurance while it is suspended.

The Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) confirmed it is investigating the footage.

The government and food assurance scheme are both investigating (Picture: Liza Blomfagra)

A DAERA spokesperson said: ‘DAERA was made aware of an incident during the early hours of Tuesday 14th Jan on a pig farm in County Antrim.

‘DAERA is currently investigating potential welfare breaches and is considering the next steps.

‘The Department is responsible for enforcement of the Welfare of Animals Act (NI) 2011 in respect of farmed animals.’

A police spokesperson added: ‘Police received a report of a protest involving a number of people at a farm in the Cloughmills area around 4.30am in the morning.

’Police attended and spoke with the protesters who left the property shortly before 7am. There were no reports of any criminal offence during the incident.’