This list consists of investigations into the use of non-human animals by humans, where the investigation was carried out in secret. These types of investigation have been noted to be of significant importance to the animal advocacy movement, and are recognised as an important method in investigative journalism. Undercover investigations into animal use have been found to be viewed as legitimate by the public, suggesting that the findings of these investigations can be important for shaping public views of animal use.
The list is separated by country, and by decade.
List
United Kingdom +2020–presentYearAnimal type & useCountyInvestigated institutionInvestigatorKey allegationsSources2023FishLoch FyneMeall MhorAnimal Equality"Drone filming of Meall Mhor, Loch Fyne, in Scotland, a site operated by Bakkafrost, showed buckets of dead salmon being collected in a process known as “lift up”."2023Pigs (meat)WarwickshireBickmarsh Hall FarmAnimal Justice Project2022Cows (dairy)CarmarthenshireMadox FarmAnimal EqualityFootage "appeared to show people kicking and punching cows".2022Cows (dairy)SomersetAnimal AidFootage "documents the sad lives of calves separated from their mothers and forced to reside in small hutches".2022DucksLincolnshireField FarmViva!Viva! said: “Undercover footage reveals shocking scenes from inside the farm of lame birds dragging themselves over extreta-ridden barn floors using their wings and workers brutally killing ducks by dislocating their necks – a shockingly legal practice – and leaving lame, sick and blind birds to suffer in pain.”2022Chickens (egg)Gloucestershire, Cumbria, HerefordshireHappy Egg CompanyPETA"Video footage shows some hens nearly bald or left with bloody wounds, thought to be caused by aggressive behaviour brought on by frustration."2022Goats (dairy)YorkshireDelamere DairyAnimal Justice Project"Activists alleged some goats were left lame and unable to walk properly, possibly due to standards of care."2022Pigs (meat) (transport)East AngliaNine farms.Animal Justice ProjectUse of electric goads; kicking and throwing of pigs.2021Cows (dairy)ShropshireOaklands Livestock CentreAnimal Justice Project"Animal Justice Project said its secret filming at Oaklands Livestock Centre in Shropshire showed the animals being kicked and thrown."2021Cows (dairy)NorthamptonshireBerryfields fattening farmAnimal Justice Project"animal rights campaigners obtained footage showing calves being hit, kicked and having their tails twisted".2021Cows (dairy)SomersetBath Soft CheeseAnimal Justice ProjectPhysical and verbal abuse of animals.2021FishIsle of LewisAnimal EqualityImproper stunning of animals.2021FishScotlandCompassion in World FarmingWidespread sea lice infestations.2021Reptiles (market)DoncasterDoncaster Racecourse Reptile MarketWorld Animal ProtectionImproper storage of animals.2021Chickens (meat)HerefordshireHaywood Poultry UnitViva!"Severely disabled birds died of thirst, while carcasses were left to rot among the living at the UK's three largest poultry producers, according to an investigation by a vegan charity."2021Chickens (meat)SomersetChurchinford FarmViva!"The videos showed birds collapsing because their legs were too weak to hold their “grotesquely overweight” bodies. It meant they could not access food or water points, causing death from starvation or dehydration, it was claimed."2021Chickens (meat)DerbyshireOverbrook FarmViva!"Dead birds were left to rot amongst the living while others were covered in their own filth at three of the UK's largest poultry providers, who supply top chains including Asda, Tesco, Lidl, and KFC."2021Pigs (meat)AberdeenshireP&G Sleigh Pig UnitAnimal Equality"undercover footage shot at P&G Sleigh Pig Unit in Aberdeenshire that showed a worker hammering pigs to death and sows with severe injuries, including organs protruding from their bodies".2021Pigs (meat)YorkshireWillerby Wold PiggeriesSurge"Disturbing footage showing pigs riddled with disease and dead animals left to rot in overcrowded pens".2021SlaughterCheshireG. & G.B. Hewitt Slaughterhouse"At Hewitt it filmed cows being beaten with sticks and struck on sensitive areas with electric prods; animals being cut and kicking, apparently still conscious after being stunned too briefly; and a piglet placed in hot water while apparently still alive."2021Turkeys (meat)LincolnshireViva!"Dead and injured turkeys were found among living ones at a farm shed housing thousands destined for Christmas dinners, according to a vegan pressure group."2020Chickens (egg)West SussexKinswood EggsAnimal Equality"A battery egg farm has been accused of forcing its caged hens to live in a space smaller than an A4 sheet of paper - in breach of animal welfare laws."2020FishHampshireTrest Valley Trout FarmViva!"Workers for Test Valley Trout Farming, which runs farms approved by the RSPCA, were filmed throwing live fish and kicking them on the ground as they writhed and gasped. Trout apparently deemed not profitable were dropped on the floor while still alive and left to die."2020FishScotlandLoch CreranViva!Use of hot-water "thermolicer" to remove sea lice from farmed salmon.2020Goats (milk)YorkshireSt Helen'sSurge"The film obtained by animal rights group Surge shows goats being kicked and punched by farm workers."2020Chickens (meat)Lincolnshire & NottinghamshireAnimal Equality"The video claims that the birds are “cruelly deprived of their most basic needs” and hundreds of chickens suffered “agonising deaths each day as workers painfully crush the chickens’ necks in their hands”."2020Chickens (meat)Lincolnshire & NottinghamshireAnimal Equality"The charity claims its investigator found chickens crammed into immensely overcrowded barns, barely able to move or stretch their wings, and deprived of water as drinkers are routinely raised to a height that they are unable to reach."2020Chickens (meat)Gloucester & HerefordshireOpen Cages"Some [chickens] were unable to feed properly, some had sores and were covered in faeces. Dead birds were left lying among the flocks."2020Pigs (meat)BerkshireCalvesley FarmViva!"One of the most distressing scenes captured by Viva! Campaigns shows a farm worker ‘knocking’ young piglets – killing them by slamming their heads onto the concrete floor."2020Pigs (meat)OxfordshireWhiteshoot FarmViva!"The activists said Whiteshoot, a fattening and finishing centre, had an entire shed of injured and sick animals, some suffering bite marks, and some suffered prolapses as a result of illness or fast growth. They said their footage also showed pigs dumped in a walkway and left in visible pain."2020Pigs (meat)LeicestershireFlathouse FarmViva!"Viva said its secret filming at Flat House Farm in Leicestershire, showed sick pigs left to die, sows being brutally killed and cannibalism."2020SlaughterNorfolkGressingham Foods AbattoirAnimal Justice Project"Hidden cameras filmed workers using live birds to knock off feet from dead birds that had become wedged in the shackle line at the company's slaughterhouse in Redgrave, Suffolk."2020Turkeys (meat)NorfolkEast FarmViva!Injuries and lack of enrichment.2020Turkeys (meat)GloucestershireClearwell FarmViva!"Birds were also found to be suffering from respiratory problems, as well as deformed legs and feet, all of these are common issues found in intensively farmed birds due to high levels of ammonia from excrement on the farm floor."2020Turkeys (meat)GloucestershireStrawberry Hill FarmViva!"A number of turkeys at Strawberry Hill Farm were also found with broken wings – one with a gruesome wing bone significantly protruding from the injury. This particular breakage would have been difficult to miss in a ‘welfare check’ and at the time of breakage would have been excruciatingly painful."