Shares in Cranswick PLC (LSE:CWK) fell 1.8% after a newspaper report emerged that revealed massive pig and chicken farms owned by the FTSE 250-listed company had violated numerous environmental rules over several years.
Regulations had been breached at least 776 times in the past seven years by the intensive farms in East Anglia, according to freedom of information (FoI) data obtained and published by campaign groups Feedback Global and Sustain, first published in the Guardian.
Feedback Global said that copies of inspection and enforcement reports were obtained by the investigative group AGtivist via FOI requests to the Environment Agency.
This means breaches on average occurred at least twice a week or nearly ten times a month between 2017 and 2024.
Breaches included pollution of waterways by slurry, as well as ground and air pollution from dead animal carcasses left outside, and from farms being overstocked with more livestock than allowed, irregularities were also found relating to the transport and disposal of farm waste.
The campaign groups said many of the violations related to the management of intensive farms, record keeping, the condition of livestock buildings and other infrastructure, as well as ammonia emissions.
Cranswick has applied for a megafarm in Norfolk that would rear over six million chickens and 56,000 pigs a year.
In a joint submission to the consultation, Feedback Global and Sustain have objected to the application on a number of grounds, including that a lack of information on greenhouse gas emissions in the application means it is not legally compliant, with the development potentially increasing emissions by more than 120,000 tonnes of CO2-equivalent annually.
Natasha Hurley, campaigns director at Feedback Global, said: "This newly revealed data clearly shows this kind of US-style industrial farming is absolutely no way to rear livestock, as it leads to a litany of consequences from water, ground and air pollution through to animal welfare issues and foul odours.
"This is all in addition to factory farming’s colossal climate impact, which jeopardises both local and national climate targets."
Lily O’Mara, climate justice fellow at Sustain, said: "Time and again, big agri-businesses claim to care about sustainability while routinely failing to meet even the most basic regulations.
"The government should strengthen enforcement on vital safeguards for our soils, rivers and air and not weaken planning policy where there is mounting evidence of environmental violations and unsustainable practices."
On its website, Cranswick's sustainability page says: "to us, it is second nature to protect and nurture our environment, supporting people and communities to thrive, locally and around the world.
"We are passionate about ensuring we play our part in delivering a sustainable global food system, as well as a sustainable community of employees, friends and people. Put simply, we believe sustainability should be embedded in every business decision, whether it’s about people or the planet."