Actress Rooney Mara visits British animal farms in undercover investigation revealing 'devastating' horrors including mother pigs 'trapped and crushing their own babies'

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Rooney Mara has told of the 'awful' and 'devastating' conditions inside British animal farms after joining an animal rights organisation for an undercover investigation.  

The 34-year-old actress visited several farms in England over the summer with Animal Equality, an organisation dedicated to the protection of farmed animals.

In footage of her visit, she tells of how conditions in the farms are 'more awful than you can even imagine' as she walks around the premises in the dead of night. 

Rooney Mara, 34, visited several farms in England over the summer with, Animal Equality, an organisation dedicated to the protection of farmed animals

In footage of her visit, she tells of how conditions in the farms are 'more awful than you can even imagine' as she walks around the premises in the dead of night

Animals at the farms were found to be experiencing extreme distress, the animal rights organisation claimed (pictured, Rooney Mara inside a British farm)

Rooney Mara looks on at a pig kept in a cage at a British animal farm, as she visited several over the summer months

Rooney Mara said she was inspired to go undercover after watching a video filmed at a pig farm, recalling that she was 'so devastated' by the footage

Elsewhere, the animal charity claimed there were dozens of weak and dying piglets receiving no veterinary attention and pigs with severe untreated hernias

Speaking of her visit, Mara said: 'I kept thinking about my sister who just had a baby, and how beautiful that instant desire to nurture and protect your child is'

The investigation captured scenes inside one farm of more than 3,000 confined pigs and another farm of around 50,000 crammed chickens.

Animals at the farms were found to be experiencing extreme distress, the animal rights organisation claimed. 

It said that according to the chicken farm's own records, 1,936 birds died within the first seven weeks of their life, averaging 42 dead birds per day.

Speaking of her visit, Mara said: 'Nothing prepares you for looking into the eyes of a mother pig whose life is to be impregnated and left in a cage until she's slaughtered.

'I kept thinking about my sister who just had a baby, and how beautiful that instant desire to nurture and protect your child is. 

'I can't imagine how awful it must be to be literally trapped and crushing your own babies and not be able to do anything about it.'      

She said she was inspired to go undercover after watching a video filmed at a pig farm, recalling that she was 'so devastated' by the footage. 

'Even though I've seen a lot of that kind of footage I really wanted to see it for myself,' she added. 'Hopefully I could make something that could impact other people who want to change their minds as well.'  

Animals at the farms were found to be experiencing extreme distress, the animal rights organisation claimed (pictured, deceased animals at one of the farms)

Speaking of her visit, Mara said: 'Nothing prepares you for looking into the eyes of a mother pig whose life is to be impregnated and left in a cage until she's slaughtered' (pictured, a dead piglet at one of the farms)

A container holds the dead bodies of pigs, found as Rooney Mara and Animal Equality went on an undercover investigation at British farms 

The animals rights group also claimed it found chickens injured and unable to move, resulting in death from starvation and thirst

The 8-minute documentary film called 'With My Own Eyes' is available now in its entirety. It follows Mara as she reveals pigs and chickens who are raised for meat, languishing in abhorrent conditions

It claimed there were mother pigs confined in small crates, unable to turn around or adequately nurse their young, crushing their newly born piglets due to lack of space and inability to move

The investigation, called 'With My Own Eyes', found chickens bred to grow so abnormally large. This Animal Equality claims, means their legs and organs cannot function, causing heart attacks, organ failure, and painful leg deformities.  

The animals rights group also claimed it found  chickens injured and unable to move, resulting in death from starvation and thirst. 

And mother pigs confined in small crates, unable to turn around or adequately nurse their young, crushing their newly born piglets due to lack of space and inability to move.

Elsewhere it claimed there were dozens of weak and dying piglets receiving no veterinary attention and pigs with severe untreated hernias.

The investigation captured scenes inside one farm of more than 3,000 confined pigs and another farm of around 50,000 crammed chickens

The animal rights group said that according to the chicken farm's own records, 1,936 birds died within the first seven weeks of their life, averaging 42 dead birds per day

The animal rights group claimed mother pigs were confined in small crates, unable to turn around or adequately nurse their young, crushing their newly born piglets due to lack of space and inability to move

Elsewhere it claimed there were dozens of weak and dying piglets receiving no veterinary attention and pigs with severe untreated hernias

Sharon Núñez, President of Animal Equality, said: 'Animal Equality's undercover investigators face great personal risk to expose what the meat industry doesn't want you to see, and what the public has every right to know. 

'We are deeply grateful to Rooney for bravely looking into the eyes of these animals, and joining us in our promise to them to share their cries with anyone who will listen. Her courage is truly inspiring.' 

Animal Equality is an international organization working with society, governments, and companies to end cruelty to farmed animals. Animal Equality has offices in the United States, the UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, Mexico, Brazil, and India.