Cranswick CEO Awarded £5.3 Million Pay Package Amid Animal Cruelty Scandal Fallout
The meat company's chief executive received a substantial increase in compensation despite recent revelations of animal mistreatment at one of its farms.
Cranswick, a prominent meat supplier, has drawn criticism for awarding its chief executive, Adam Couch, a £5.3 million pay package for the fiscal year ending March. This compensation represents a 13% increase from the previous year's £4.7 million.
The award has ignited public outcry, particularly given that the company was involved in an animal cruelty scandal earlier in the previous year. In May 2026, The Mail on Sunday exposed instances of improper slaughtering practices, as well as the mistreatment of piglets, including instances of them being beaten and kicked, at one of Cranswick's pig farms in Lincolnshire.
The recent annual report from Cranswick detailed Couch's compensation, which included a salary of £975,000, a bonus of £1.95 million, and long-term share awards valued at £2.26 million, in addition to pension contributions and other benefits. The report stated that the annual bonus reached the maximum amount possible, as all performance targets were met.
Among the achievements cited for meeting these targets were the commissioning of an independent animal welfare report and the subsequent implementation of its recommendations. This report was commissioned in the aftermath of The Mail on Sunday's expos
e. The original investigation was conducted by an undercover journalist for the animal rights organization Animal Justice Project, who filmed conditions over several weeks. In response to the revelations, Cranswick dismissed four employees from its Northmoor site and initiated an internal investigation. Several major supermarkets, including Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's, and Tesco, temporarily suspended their supply from the affected farm.
Claire Palmer, director at Animal Justice Project, described Couch's pay as "impossible to justify and is quite frankly disgraceful."