Farm workers 'punched, kicked and stubbed cigarette on cows' at award-winning dairy supplying Tesco and Muller

Published: 17:13, 4 August 2026 | Updated: 17:15, 4 August 2026 Terrified cows were kicked, punched, slapped and in one case had a lit cigarette pressed to its face by workers at an award-winning Crown Estate dairy supplying Tesco and Muller, an investigation has revealed. Other distressing scenes showed the animals being prodded with sharp objects, having their tails twisted and panicking as they’re shouted at. The undercover footage was obtained during an undercover operation which saw kicks being aimed at the defenceless cows’ udders, underbellies, backsides and legs. Several members of staff have been sacked after the evidence was handed to dairy bosses and yoghurt giant Muller, which suspended the farm, which has 700 dairy cows. Tesco has also suspended the farm pending an investigation. The owners of Albyns Farm, near Loughton in Essex, said they were launching an investigation. The business, which has received accolades in farming awards, sells two-fifths of its milk to Muller and has been a member of the Tesco Sustainable Dairy Group. The footage was obtained by animal rights activist Joey Carbstrong, who has led several recent high-profile investigations. He said: ‘Sadly, the animal abuse we uncovered at Albyns Farm is all too common. Workers at Albyns Farm, near Loughton in Essex, have been accused of multiple breaches of animal welfare rules  ‘But this case is especially troubling when we consider that the owner of the dairy business, [who] has held various high positions in the dairy industry and won multiple awards in the sector, previously boasted of 'zero non-conformity issues' during any of their farm audits. ‘This raises serious questions about the effectiveness of these farm audits at preventing serious animal cruelty. ‘It is our view that the shocking scenes we uncovered at Albyns are a symptom of a nationwide systemic failure that continues to leave farmed animals with no protection.’ Around 600 alleged incidents were identified in two 60-minute samples of the footage filmed between September-October 2024 and February-March 2026. Other possible animal welfare breaches involving the Holstein cows included hitting them with gates and brooms, violating them with keys and brooms, calves separated from their mothers or dragged by legs, risking injury. Animal welfare expert Jenny Mace, a visiting scholar at the University of St Andrews, said: ‘Indicators of pain and/or distress are also evident in the footage… including flinching, running through fear, bellowing, leg kicks and escape attempts.’ A spokesman for the business, Curtismill Holsteins, said: ‘As a family farming business that is fully committed to best-in-class welfare, we are extremely disappointed to see this undercover footage, which shows staff behaviour that is completely unacceptable to us. ‘We are taking immediate action and launching a full, independent investigation, having an external animal-welfare specialist carry out an additional audit of the farm, installing supplementary CCTV for better monitoring and increasing staff training. Workers were recorded punching cows, prodding them with sharp objects and slapping them with cloths, leaving them terrified ‘We are determined to ensure this never happens again.’ Müller UK & Ireland said: 'We are appalled by this footage and are grateful this matter was brought to our attention, enabling us to take immediate action. ‘The behaviour shown is entirely unacceptable and is fundamentally in breach of the high standards of animal health and welfare which we require every supplying farm to uphold. ‘As soon as these concerns were raised, the farm was suspended and a full investigation was carried out, including assurance inspections by both an independent veterinary professional and Red Tractor. ‘Some of the footage dates back almost two years, and the employees at fault have been dismissed with immediate effect. The issues highlighted have been addressed, corrective actions have been implemented, and the farm continues to be subject to ongoing monitoring and assurance checks. ‘We have zero tolerance for animal cruelty or poor welfare standards.’ Tesco added in a statement: ‘We take animal welfare extremely seriously, and we expect all our farmers to adhere to our high welfare standards. ‘This footage is distressing, and we have suspended the farm with immediate effect, pending a thorough investigation. Around 600 alleged incidents were recorded in two hour-long videos, taken in 2024 and 2026 ‘Any failure to meet our high welfare standards is unacceptable and we take swift action where necessary.’ The Crown Estate has a large portfolio of land and assets across the UK, including urban centres, the seabed, much of the coastline around England, Wales and Northern Ireland and large rural holdings. The majority of its rural holdings are 185,000 acres of tenanted farms in England and upland commons in Wales. A spokeswoman said: 'This is a tenanted farm and we have no role in the management of the farm.'