NFU Scotland is demanding answers from Quality Meat Scotland on the consistency of applying assurance rules 'regardless of the scale of the business' following a Karro employee's guilty verdict for animal cruelty in Elgin Sheriff Court.

Last week, Karro Food Group employee, Janusz Wadzinski, was found guilty of repeatedly running over a pig with a quad bike before beating it with a stick at Clackmarras Farm, near Elgin.

The incident occurred in 2020 and Wadzinski told his defence lawyer in court he continued to be employed at the farm, having worked their for six years.

Previously, when a business was found in breach of serious welfare rules its assurance status was suspended pending an investigation. However, when The Scottish Farmer asked QMS what action had been taken after charges were first brought against the Karro employee and following a conviction, a QMS spokesperson said: “We take all cases of this nature very seriously. The case is currently under investigation by our Quality Assurance provider FIA and we are unable to provide further comment during an active investigation. The article and court outcome are no reflection of how the Scottish pig industry operate.”

In April, 2021, an online film showing an employee of Aberdeenshire pig business, P and G Sleigh, breaching welfare rules resulted in that business losing its assured status within 24 hours.

As a result, partners in the business suffered losses of £250,000 over a six-month period and ultimately decided to sell the pig herd and put the farm on the market.

The Karro Food Group, whose website reports it produces 14,000 weaners per week, continue to supply pigs.

NFU Scotland’s pigs committee chair, Jamie Wyllie, said: “First and foremost, animal welfare must be a priority and any abuse is abhorrent and unacceptable.

“Quite rightly, animal welfare is a central part of the farm assurance scheme for pigs. For farm assurance rules to work, there must be standardisation around processes and systems, and they must be executed correctly and consistently.

“With regards to the recent welfare prosecution in Elgin Sherriff Court, NFU Scotland has been asking QMS and assessment body FIA to provide reassurances that there are set procedures with timescales on how such incidents are dealt with regardless of the scale of the business involved and that these procedures are uniform, fair and transparent for all parties.

“We have been in touch with QMS this week and last week with regards to the guilty verdict passed against a farm worker from Elgin looking for clarification on how it has been handling this latest incident, from when it was first made aware of the allegations and since the outcome of the prosecution was made public.

“Our pig producers want reassurances that all such incidents are treated in a clear, correct and consistent manner.”