Diane Morgan backs Animal Equality’s campaign to hold UK farms accountable
In June, Diane visited The Retreat Animal Sanctuary in Kent alongside Animal Equality UK’s Executive Director, Abigail Penny, and Campaigns and Public Affairs Manager, Lex Rigby. Founded in 1989 by Billy Thompson, The Retreat has rescued over 20,000 animals and is now home to more than 1,250 residents – many saved after narrowly escaping death, no longer considered ‘productive’ or ‘useful’ by industrial farming systems.
During her visit, Diane met survivors of the very industry she now speaks out against, as momentum builds across the UK for urgent reform to protect farmed animals under the law.
From suffering to sanctuary
At The Retreat, Billy Thompson shared the stories of the animals in his care – cows, pigs, hens – many of whom still carry the scars of their past lives in farms. Some injuries are visible, while others remain hidden beneath the surface.
Hens
Thompson introduced a group of former hens, rescued after nearly two years of relentless egg production. These birds were due to be slaughtered simply because they were no longer laying enough eggs to remain profitable. Some had even fallen from slaughterhouse trucks and were later discovered in the farm compound without food or water. They arrived so frail that they had to be tube-fed. Thompson said that quite often, the hens are depressed and have to be released to the outdoors slowly as it’s not something they are used to. Now, they forage freely, safe at last – a heartbreaking contrast to the countless others who will never see life outside a cage.
Pigs
Then there were Hope, Paloma, and Emily – three elderly pigs resting peacefully in straw. Now over 16 years old, they’ve lived more than five times longer than the average female pig, who is typically slaughtered around two or three years of age when her reproductive ‘use’ runs out.
And it’s not only mother pigs who need saving from factory farms. The team at The Retreat also shared the story of a piglet rescued from a ‘kill bin’ – a survivor of ‘thumping’ the widespread (and illegal) practice of bludgeoning newborn piglets deemed unviable. This piglet’s eye sockets had been crushed, yet they survived against all odds – and now spend their days rooting around, surrounded by love, care, and safety.
Cows
In the nearby fields, rescued cattle each have their own story. Harrison – a gentle bull born into the dairy industry – bears psychological scars. Deemed worthless because he couldn’t produce milk, he was marked for slaughter at birth. Exposés released by Animal Equality have documented cows being kicked, punched, slapped, and prodded with shovels.
And it’s not only male calves who are discarded. Female cows are often deemed ‘defective’ by the industry. One now at the sanctuary lost an eye during a botched dehorning procedure – a painful process carried out to some cows on farms to make them ‘more manageable’ in cramped conditions. Others, like Rosa, a playful cow with a shiny black coat, was rejected for having an extra toe on her back foot. Another striking cow was saved at birth after being declared too sick. Her udder – of normal size – illustrates what cows look like when they are not forced to produce excessive quantities of milk.
From comedian to campaigner
While Diane engaged with the animals, she spoke about her rescue dog, Bobby, who she and her partner Ben adopted after he’d been caged for 10 hours a day.
If you have a pet and you have that connection, it means you look at other animals and think, ‘oh – they’re not that different’
Diane Morgan, Comedian, Actor and proud supporter of Animal Equality UK
Diane is right – farmed animals feel and think just like dogs. Chickens, pigs, and cows are not objects, and they are certainly not ‘defective’ simply because they cannot fulfill the roles the industry has assigned to them. Each one values their life. If someone slammed a dog against a wall, there would be public outrage and, almost certainly, legal consequences. The same justice should be extended to farmed animals.
Yet right now, justice for farmed animals is virtually non-existent. Legal protections are minimal, and existing laws too often remain unenforced – words on paper rather than actions in practice.
The Enforcement Problem
Over an 11-year period, Animal Equality UK released footage from inside 50 farms and slaughterhouses. In every single case, investigators uncovered prolonged animal suffering, deliberate abuse or neglect, and/or illegal practices. The evidentiary footage paints a damning picture of an industry – and a regulatory system – that is not just broken, but systematically failing animals.
On every pig farm Animal Equality UK has visited, pigs routinely had their tails cut off – a painful procedure meant to prevent tail-biting caused by the extreme stress of the crowded and barren environments they are forced to live in. This mutilation is supposed to be a last resort, yet its standard practice. Cows farmed for dairy fare no better. Up to 30% of cows in the UK dairy industry suffer from lameness, often due to untreated foot or leg conditions. Animal Equality has documented the unlawful handling of these animals – cows kicked, struck in the face or stomach, or subjected to tail-twisting when they couldn’t stand or walk.
Despite repeated violations and widespread cruelty, enforcement remains shockingly rare. Between 2018 and 2021, a joint report by Animal Equality and The Animal Law Foundation revealed that fewer than 3% of UK farms were inspected each year. Even when violations were reported, enforcement was rare or inconsistent. Just 0.33% of farms faced prosecution following initial complaints.
We are fed this story about all animals running around fields but the reality is most are kept in intensive conditions. Most are not checked and those are done infrequently.
Diane Morgan, Comedian, Actor and proud supporter of Animal Equality UK
The only real way to stop this suffering is to transition toward a plant-based food system. But in the meantime, systemic reform is urgently needed.
To address these failings, Animal Equality published The Enforcement Solution and commissioned new research from the Social Market Foundation. Together, they offer a practical, evidence-based plan that includes:
- Licensing every farm
- Centralising enforcement under the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA)
- Increasing transparency around inspections and outcomes
- Strengthening penalties for cruelty and neglect
Encouragingly, many of these recommendations have since been echoed by the Government’s own Animal Sentience Committee and members of the House of Lords are speaking out in Parliament, emphasising that enforcement is “a big, big issue”.
Take action
With the Government’s Animal Welfare Strategy due to be published later this year, Animal Equality is keeping the pressure on – attending roundtable discussions and invite-only discussions with Ministers to ensure the Government responds to these urgent demands. But as Diane aptly puts it, we need more people to know the truth.
There’s so much secrecy in this industry […] People care about animals. They just don’t always know what’s happening behind closed doors […] Anyone can just have a farm. I think if people knew that and knew how animals were treated, more would put pressure on the Government to make change.
Diane Morgan, Comedian, Actor and proud supporter of Animal Equality UK
This moment is critical. More than 120,000 people have already signed Animal Equality’s petition, demanding a closure of the enforcement gap, and real legal protections for animals. Make sure you do the same! Every signature matters brings us closer to a world where no animal is left behind.
Choose Compassion
Did you know Diane, once “mostly vegetarian”, is now fully plant-based?
“I used to love cheese”, she laughed. “But this year I said, right – I’m putting an end to this. And weirdly, I’ve gone off it now”.
You can too. Start your plant-based journey today with delicious recipes and tips at Love Veg.
Protect cows and calves
Every day mother cows are separated from their newborn calves, just so milk can appear on the shelves of supermarkets. Protect cows by choosing plant-based dairy alternatives.
