Cranswick reveals boss lands £4.6m pay package amid pig farm abuse scandal
In its annual report, the firm – Britain's largest pork supplier – said chief executive Adam Couch landed a £1.7 million annual bonus and potential long-term share awards worth £1.9 million, on top of his £847,400 salary in the year to March.
His total pay jumped 34% higher, up from £3.4 million in 2023-24.
The East Yorkshire-based group also revealed that Mr Couch saw his salary hiked by more than £127,000 to £974,600 on April 1 as part of a pay review.
Details of his pay and bonuses comes less than two months after abuse claims emerged against a pig farm run by the business.
The pork producer suspended using Northmoor Farm in Lincolnshire after covert footage emerged appearing to show workers at the site abusing piglets.
Workers were filmed appearing to hold piglets by their hind legs and slamming them to the ground, using a banned method of killing the animals known as 'piglet thumping'.
Major supermarkets Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury's and Tesco suspended Northmoor Farm as a supplier, and Cranswick shortly afterwards launched an independent review into its animal welfare policies and livestock operations.
In its annual report on Friday, Mr Couch said: 'We have always placed the highest importance on animal health and wellbeing, and continuously aim to have the most stringent standards in the sector.
'We take seriously any instance, anywhere in our supply chain, where behaviour fails to meet those standards.
'We are therefore instigating a new, fully independent, expert veterinarian review of all our existing animal welfare policies, together with a comprehensive review of our livestock operations across the UK.
'We will provide a further update on this work in due course.'
On the chief executive's salary rise, the group's remuneration committee added in the report that there was 'very strong support' for the increase among shareholders.
It added that his base salary previously did not 'appropriately and fairly reflect Adam's extensive experience and his exceptional contribution to the impressive performance of the business'.
'We believe it is critical to take decisive action now to ensure Adam is appropriately incentivised and retained to deliver Cranswick's long-term growth ambitions,' according to the committee.
Cranswick's results last month showed record sales and profits for the past year.
The firm revealed revenues grew by 6.8% to £2.72 billion for the year to March, compared with the previous year, while pre-tax profits grew by 14.6% to £181.6 million.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Scottish Sun
an hour ago
- Scottish Sun
Six supermarket food swaps that could save you £430 a year – and you won't be able to taste the difference
YOU could make big savings - scroll down to find out these six supermarket secrets GRUBS UP Six supermarket food swaps that could save you £430 a year – and you won't be able to taste the difference Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) SWAPPING branded products for supermarket-own brands can save you a whopping £430 a year. Some items are so similar you won't notice the difference. 13 Some of the nation's favourite brands are suspected to be made in the same factories as supermarket dupes Credit: Getty Supermarkets are tight lipped over who makes their products. But industry insiders have told The Sun many of Britain's most popular food and drink brands also make own-brand items for supermarkets. Sometimes, factories will change recipes or ingredients to make cheaper versions for retailers like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Aldi. There's no way to tell for sure if the brands actually make the supermarket dupes because these are closely guarded trade secrets. But there are clues that show there's a good chance they do. Prices right at the time of publication. CEREAL – save £82 a year BRAND - Weetabix, £3.48 for 24 OWN BRAND – Asda Wheat Bisks, £1.90 for 24 13 DITCH: Weetabix costs £3.48 for 24 of the cereal chunks 13 SWITCH: Whereas Asda's Wheat Bisks are £1.58 cheaper at £1.90 THE Weetabix design is patented, which means only the manufacturer of Weetabix is allowed to make cereal products in its special oval shape. So any supermarket own-brand products in the same shape will be made in a Weetabix factory, or one licensed by Weetabix. Asda's Wheat Bisks have the same patent number on the box as the original Weetabix. They contain the same amount of wheat, but more sugar (an extra 0.2 per cent). In taste tests, we couldn't tell the difference. A family buying a pack a week could save £82 per year by opting for own-brand. CHEESE – save £42 a year BRAND – Cathedral City Mature Cheddar, £2.93 for 350g (Asda) OWN BRAND – Aldi Emporium British Mature Cheddar, £2.79 for 400g (equivalent to £2.44 per 350g) 13 DITCH: Cathedral City is loved by families, but costs £3.25 for 350g 13 SWITCH: Aldi's dupe is cheaper and could help make you a big saving over a year ALDI'S cheddar is made in the same dairy as Cathedral City, owned by dairy giant Saputo. It's hard to tell the difference between the budget supermarket's award-winning own-brand cheese and the more expensive branded version. All dairy products sold in the UK and Europe must be stamped with a code showing where they were produced – so it's easy to compare your favourite brand with a supermarket version and see if it's worth swapping. If your household goes through 350g of cheddar cheese every week, you could save £25 per year by swapping to the Aldi version. BEER – save £146 per year BRAND - Badger Beer Portland Poster Session Ale (3.4% ABV), £2.25 for 500ml OWN BRAND - Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Session Ale (3.4% ABV), £1.55 for 500ml 13 DITCH: This Badger Beer is £2.25, but you could save 70p switching to Sainsbury's version 13 SWITCH: This Sainsbury's copycat version has a bitter and malty flavour Sainsbury's own-brand session ale reveals on the label it is brewed in Blandford Forum, Dorset. The only brewery in that area is Hall & Woodhouse, which is the manufacturer of Badger Beers like Fursty Ferret. The Sainsbury's version is also made by the brewery chain. The premium Badger Beer Portland Poster Session Ale has the same alcohol content as the Sainsbury's version, although Hall & Woodhouse said it was a 'completely different recipe'. And both are described as having a balance of bitter and malty flavours. You can buy 12 x 500ml bottles of Badger Beer for £27 - which works out at £2.25 each. That makes Sainsbury's beer 70p cheaper per bottle - a saving of £145 over a year, based on buying four bottles a week. Remember to drink responsibly. RICE PUDDING – save £29 per year BRAND – Muller Rice Strawberry Low Fat Dessert, 62p for 170g pot (from Asda) OWN BRAND – Aldi Brooklea Rice Strawberry Low Fat, 48p for 180g pot 13 DITCH: This Muller rice pot costs 62p, and is low fat 13 SWITCH: This Aldi version is cheaper and is a great saving Aldi's Brooklea rice puddings are made by the same dairy that produces the Muller version. All dairy products sold in the UK must carry a stamp with a code showing which dairy they came from. The Sun found both Aldi's rice puddings and the Muller ones had the same code - which shows they are made at the same location. The taste is very similar but Aldi's version has slightly fewer calories per 100g (99kcal vs Muller's 100kcal). The Aldi version is nearly half the price. If you buy four puddings per week for your family, you could save a huge £87 per year by switching to own-brand. POTATO SNACKS – save £81 per year BRAND – Hula Hoops Original, £2.33 for 6x 24g (Asda) OWN-BRAND – Aldi Snackrite Ready Salted Potato Hoops, £1.55 for 8x 25g 13 DITCH: Hula hoops are a packed lunch fave, but the branded version costs £2.33 13 SWITCH: Aldi's version is cheaper and you get an extra two packets There have been several cases where packets of Aldi's own-brand potato hoops were discovered inside multi-packs of regular Hula Hoops. This led to manufacturer KP Snacks admitting in 2017 it makes both the branded Hula Hoops and Aldi's own-brand version - but to slightly different recipes. Aldi's version is half the price - and has more bags in the multipack. Based on a family needing two multipacks a week, switching to own-brand could save you £81 per year. YOGHURT – save £68 per year BRAND – Yeo Valley Organic Strawberry Yoghurt, £2.25 for 450g OWN-BRAND – Sainsbury's Stamford Street Low Fat Strawberry Yoghurt, 95p for 450g 13 DITCH: Yeo Valley is pricey at £2.25 for 450g, although it is organic 13 SWITCH: This Sainsbury's knock off is a whopping £1.30 cheaper Many of Sainsbury's yoghurts are produced by Yeo Valley, including this bargain Stamford Street version. Although Yeo Valley hasn't officially confirmed it makes own-brand yoghurts, it has been linked to several supermarket lines. In 2016, a product recall over safety fears saw Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, Co-Op and Asda all withdraw own-brand yoghurts which were confirmed to have been made by Yeo Valley. Both Sainsbury's Stamford Street and Yeo Valley strawberry yoghurts carry the same dairy code stamp, which means they were produced at the same factory. Unlike Yeo Valley, the Sainsbury's strawberry yoghurt is not organic, so is not made to the same recipe. You could save £68 per year, based on buying one pot of Sainsbury's yogurt instead of Yeo Valley per week. All the supermarkets and brands have been approached for comment.
The Sun
an hour ago
- The Sun
Six supermarket food swaps that could save you £430 a year – and you won't be able to taste the difference
SWAPPING branded products for supermarket-own brands can save you a whopping £430 a year. Some items are so similar you won't notice the difference. 13 Supermarkets are tight lipped over who makes their products. But industry insiders have told The Sun many of Britain's most popular food and drink brands also make own-brand items for supermarkets. Sometimes, factories will change recipes or ingredients to make cheaper versions for retailers like Tesco, Asda, Sainsbury's and Aldi. There's no way to tell for sure if the brands actually make the supermarket dupes because these are closely guarded trade secrets. But there are clues that show there's a good chance they do. Prices right at the time of publication. BRAND - Weetabix, £3.48 for 24 OWN BRAND – Asda Wheat Bisks, £1.90 for 24 Most read in Money 13 THE Weetabix design is patented, which means only the manufacturer of Weetabix is allowed to make cereal products in its special oval shape. So any supermarket own-brand products in the same shape will be made in a Weetabix factory, or one licensed by Weetabix. Asda's Wheat Bisks have the same patent number on the box as the original Weetabix. They contain the same amount of wheat, but more sugar (an extra 0.2 per cent). In taste tests, we couldn't tell the difference. A family buying a pack a week could save £82 per year by opting for own-brand. CHEESE – save £42 a year BRAND – Cathedral City Mature Cheddar, £2.93 for 350g (Asda) OWN BRAND – Aldi Emporium British Mature Cheddar, £2.79 for 400g (equivalent to £2.44 per 350g) 13 ALDI'S cheddar is made in the same dairy as Cathedral City, owned by dairy giant Saputo. It's hard to tell the difference between the budget supermarket's award-winning own-brand cheese and the more expensive branded version. All dairy products sold in the UK and Europe must be stamped with a code showing where they were produced – so it's easy to compare your favourite brand with a supermarket version and see if it's worth swapping. If your household goes through 350g of cheddar cheese every week, you could save £25 per year by swapping to the Aldi version. BEER – save £146 per year OWN BRAND - Sainsbury's Taste The Difference Session Ale (3.4% ABV), £1.55 for 500ml Sainsbury's own-brand session ale reveals on the label it is brewed in Blandford Forum, Dorset. The only brewery in that area is Hall & Woodhouse, which is the manufacturer of Badger Beers like Fursty Ferret. The Sainsbury's version is also made by the brewery chain. The premium Badger Beer Portland Poster Session Ale has the same alcohol content as the Sainsbury's version, although Hall & Woodhouse said it was a 'completely different recipe'. And both are described as having a balance of bitter and malty flavours. You can buy 12 x 500ml bottles of Badger Beer for £27 - which works out at £2.25 each. That makes Sainsbury's beer 70p cheaper per bottle - a saving of £145 over a year, based on buying four bottles a week. Remember to drink responsibly. RICE PUDDING – save £29 per year BRAND – Muller Rice Strawberry Low Fat Dessert, 62p for 170g pot (from Asda) OWN BRAND – Aldi Brooklea Rice Strawberry Low Fat, 48p for 180g pot Aldi's Brooklea rice puddings are made by the same dairy that produces the Muller version. All dairy products sold in the UK must carry a stamp with a code showing which dairy they came from. The Sun found both Aldi's rice puddings and the Muller ones had the same code - which shows they are made at the same location. The taste is very similar but Aldi's version has slightly fewer calories per 100g (99kcal vs Muller's 100kcal). The Aldi version is nearly half the price. If you buy four puddings per week for your family, you could save a huge £87 per year by switching to own-brand. POTATO SNACKS – save £81 per year BRAND – Hula Hoops Original, £2.33 for 6x 24g (Asda) OWN-BRAND – Aldi Snackrite Ready Salted Potato Hoops, £1.55 for 8x 25g 13 There have been several cases where packets of Aldi's own-brand potato hoops were discovered inside multi-packs of regular Hula Hoops. This led to manufacturer KP Snacks admitting in 2017 it makes both the branded Hula Hoops and Aldi's own-brand version - but to slightly different recipes. Aldi's version is half the price - and has more bags in the multipack. Based on a family needing t wo multipacks a week, switching to own-brand could save you £81 per year. YOGHURT – save £68 per year BRAND – Yeo Valley Organic Strawberry Yoghurt, £2.25 for 450g OWN-BRAND – Sainsbury's Stamford Street Low Fat Strawberry Yoghurt, 95p for 450g Many of Sainsbury's yoghurts are produced by Yeo Valley, including this bargain Stamford Street version. Although Yeo Valley hasn't officially confirmed it makes own-brand yoghurts, it has been linked to several supermarket lines. In 2016, a product recall over safety fears saw Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Tesco, Co-Op and Asda all withdraw own-brand yoghurts which were confirmed to have been made by Yeo Valley. Both Sainsbury's Stamford Street and Yeo Valley strawberry yoghurts carry the same dairy code stamp, which means they were produced at the same factory. Unlike Yeo Valley, the Sainsbury's strawberry yoghurt is not organic, so is not made to the same recipe. You could save £68 per year, based on buying one pot of Sainsbury's yogurt instead of Yeo Valley per week. All the supermarkets and brands have been approached for comment. How to save money on your supermarket shop THERE are plenty of ways to save on your grocery shop. You can look out for yellow or red stickers on products, which show when they've been reduced. If the food is fresh, you'll have to eat it quickly or freeze it for another time. Making a list should also save you money, as you'll be less likely to make any rash purchases when you get to the supermarket. Going own brand can be one easy way to save hundreds of pounds a year on your food bills too. This means ditching "finest" or "luxury" products and instead going for "own" or value" type of lines. Plenty of supermarkets run wonky veg and fruit schemes where you can get cheap prices if they're misshapen or imperfect. For example, Lidl runs its Waste Not scheme, offering boxes of 5kg of fruit and vegetables for just £1.50. If you're on a low income and a parent, you may be able to get up to £442 a year in Healthy Start vouchers to use at the supermarket too. Plus, many councils offer supermarket vouchers as part of the Household Support Fund.
Scotsman
4 hours ago
- Scotsman
Ready for takeoff: PING Group partners with ubloquity to accelerate digital transformation in aerospace and defence
Partnership will create five specialist tech roles and enhance transparency, traceability, and resilience across Northern Ireland and Scotland's aerospace and defence supply chains - a sector generating a combined £9.5 billion in annual turnover. Sign up to our daily newsletter Sign up Thank you for signing up! Did you know with a Digital Subscription to Edinburgh News, you can get unlimited access to the website including our premium content, as well as benefiting from fewer ads, loyalty rewards and much more. Learn More Sorry, there seem to be some issues. Please try again later. Submitting... Headquartered in Northern Ireland with a key site at Edinburgh Airport, PING Group - a leading provider of engineering, supply chain, and technical services to the Aerospace and Defence industry- has appointed ubloquity, a specialist digital identity and distributed ledger technology (DLT) company, to lead its visionary digitaltransformation programme. As part of the partnership, Banbridge-based ubloquity will deliver digital asset identification, authentication and traceability across PING's growing operations, ensuring exceptional efficiency in real-time asset management. A dedicated digital centre of excellence at PING's Belfast International Airport site will accelerate innovation and provide advanced solutions tailored to the evolving needs of its aerospace, defence, and industrial customers. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group, commented: 'At PING, we believe in combining precision with innovation. Our partnership with ubloquity is a strategic step in future-proofing our business and that of our supply chain. The rollout of next-generation digital infrastructure and asset-level digital passports across landside and airside operations will provide real-time visibility, enhanced security, and end-to-end traceability. This will lay the foundation for more sustainable, transparent, and resilient logistics supply chains. Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group and Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity. 'The creation of a digital centre of excellence enables us to respond to the growing demand for traceability, compliance, and frictionless trade across our sector. We are confident that our partnership with ubloquity will be instrumental in driving our digital journey forward and we look forward to the opportunities ahead.' Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity, said: 'For ubloquity, this partnership with PING is about backing a premier Northern Ireland business at the heart of airside and landside logistics and storage, supporting their digital transformation and helping to drive adoption across the wider sector. We'll act as an enabler to fast-track digitisation, reduce friction, increase automation, and deliver greater efficiencies across their growing operation.' Using ubloquity's innovative and secure solutions, the digital centre of excellence will focus on creating a digital twin to support traceability across aerospace and defence components, zero-friction supply chain integration, AI and IoT-enabled asset monitoring, and support for export and compliance standards, aligned with international trade requirements and defence frameworks. Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad The partnership has already gained cross-sector support with Leslie Orr, Director at ADS Northern Ireland, saying: 'Northern Ireland is a centre of excellence foraerospace and defence engineering, and this collaboration between PING and ubloquity strengthens our region's leadership in digital innovation. It supports the sector's move toward intelligent, transparent, and resilient supply chains - an area critical for both national and global competitiveness.' Jonny McKinney, CEO of PING Group and Kieran Kelly, CEO and Founder of ubloquity. As an AWS Partner, ubloquity welcomed support from Fiona Simpson, General Manager at AWS for Ireland/Northern Ireland: 'AWS is committed to supporting digital innovation across the UK and Ireland. We're proud to see partners like ubloquity and PING lead the way in applying secure cloud-native solutions to mission-critical sectors. The creation of a digital centre of excellence aligns with AWS's commitment to enabling scalable, secure, and sustainable technology solutions that drive real-world impact.' ubloquity is also a proud participant in the prestigious Aerospace Xcelerated (AX) programme. Nicola Bates, Head of Aerospace Xcelerated – Boeing, welcomed the partnership, stating:"At Aerospace Xcelerated, we are proud to recognise the PING and ubloquity for their groundbreaking work in digital transformation across the aerospace and defence supply chain. Their innovative approach to digital asset identity and frictionless trade demonstrates exactly the kind of bold thinking and technological leadership we champion. This partnership celebrates their vision, impact, and commitment to driving the sector forward." Advertisement Hide Ad Advertisement Hide Ad This partnership builds on ubloquity's growing track record of delivering digital infrastructure for critical sectors and reinforces PING's mission to become a strategic digital enabler for its customers.
