The Humane Society of the United States has accused pig meat processing giant Smithfield Foods of misleading consumers and shareholders over its animal welfare practices. Smithfield produces a number of processed meats sold in the UK as well as supplying supermarket Tesco. The company was the focus of 2009 factory farming documentary Pig Business.

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Smithfield has this week attempted to defend itself against HSUS criticism that the company’s promotional material makes false and misleading claims. HSUS filed a complaint with the US Securities and Exchange Commission last week; the NGO claimed Smithfield’s new corporate social responsibility website was misleading.

HSUS said a promotional video series by Smithfield entitled Taking the Mystery out of Pork Production falsely conveys to viewers that Smithfield has higher animal welfare and environmental standards than it actually does. The group went on to state that the videos are deceptive in their depiction of Smithfield’s use of antibiotics in animal feed and took issue with Smithfield’s claims that it provides animals with "ideal" living conditions where their "every need is met".

On filing the complaint last week, HSUS spokesperson and chief counsel for animal protection litigation Jonathan Lovvorn said, "Smithfield cannot shirk its responsibility to stakeholders and animals by simply offering false claims about providing ‘ideal’ living conditions."

Smithfield responded to the claim by saying HSUS’ complaint was a means of pressuring it and its subsidiary Murphy Brown into abandoning the use of gestation crates for breeding sows. A spokesperson responded to the complaint, "The HSUS allegations are wholly without merit and appear to be another in a series of frivolous attacks initiated by HSUS against our business.

"The well-being of all our animals is one of our highest priorities, which is why we consistently seek input from our customers, consumers, experts in animal husbandry, veterinarians and animal behavior specialists."

Gestation crates are illegal under UK law; their use will be outlawed in the EU from 1st January 2013, though the latest figures from British industry body BPEX suggest many EU states will not meet the deadline in time. The European Parlieament made calls last week to address the prophylactic use of antibiotics in the bloc in response to fears over antibiotic resistant bacteria, although their use to promote growth is already outlawed.