Serbian Animals Voice (SAV)

HORRIFIC scenes of animal cruelty against pigs facing slaughter have been captured by animal rights activists.

The sickening abuse of the animals at a UK abattoir includes punching them and burning them on the face with cigarettes.

They also suffer because of incompetent use of stun equipment, they are hit in the face with bats and dragged to their deaths by their ears. see more ….

Disturbing video footage at:

http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/3721871/Shocking-pig-abuse-at-abattoir.html

For immediate release: 29th July 2011

Revealed: cigarettes stubbed out on slaughter pigs’ faces
But Defra refuses to prosecute!

Cigarettes stubbed out on pigs’ faces; one animal punched in the head; another goaded in the face; regular blows and kicks; seriously injured pigs forced to drag themselves to slaughter… All these abuses in one UK slaughterhouse and Defra still won’t prosecute.

Today, Animal Aid has released footage shot secretly at Elmkirk Ltd (Cheale Meats), an Essex-based, family-run slaughterhouse that kills up to 6,000 pigs a week and whose website proclaims: ‘Be proud of higher welfare, buy British pork.’
 
The film – which was recorded on a number of secretly installed cameras over a period of four days – shows three different workers stubbing their cigarettes out on the faces of pigs, while one of the men landed a violent punch on the face of a pig who was walking by.
 
In addition, three seriously injured pigs were forced to crawl from the lairage, through the race and into the stun pen. Animal Aid’s cameras followed them as they were pushed, dragged by their ears and kicked along. Such treatment breaches the welfare laws multiple times.*
 
Animal Aid filmed many examples of incompetence. Pigs are stunned using electrified tongs, which should span their brains and render them immediately insensible. However, three of the four workers filmed stunning pigs showed a callous indifference to the suffering of the animals, many of whom were not stunned correctly. Some were subjected to painful electric shocks from the tongs, and fell to the ground screaming.
 
It is legal to use electric goads on the muscles of the hindquarters of pigs, but only for brief periods and only when there is space ahead of the animal in which to move. At Cheale Meats, the electric goad was used in the face of one pig and on the anus of another.
 
An additional worrying episode showed an apparently dead pig being dragged into the stun pen by a pole in her mouth. She was not stunned but she was shackled, hoisted and had her throat cut on the slaughter line. How this animal died, what she had been suffering from and where her meat ended up remain unknown.
 
Cheale Meats is the ninth UK slaughterhouse to be secretly filmed by Animal Aid in the past two-and-a-half years. The national campaign group has identified legal breaches in seven of the previous eight – some of them so serious that one slaughterhouse was forced to close down. Cases were built for the prosecution of nine men and four slaughterhouse operators before a change of government brought a change of heart, and all the cases were dropped. Defra, under the coalition government, said that, unlike its Labour predecessor, it could not proceed because the evidence was obtained without the permission of the slaughterhouses. Animal Aid believes that this is a politically motivated excuse and cites the recent Panorama programme, which secretly filmed care home workers without the permission of the owners, and whose film is being used to prosecute.
 
Animal Aid sent the Cheale Meats evidence to the Food Standards Agency (FSA). This is the body that supplies vets to slaughterhouses and investigates breaches of the welfare and hygiene law before passing the cases to Defra, which is the prosecuting body. The FSA replied on 14 June saying: ‘Defra is not prepared to commence prosecution proceedings where the initial allegation is based on CCTV footage gained without the consent of the relevant Food Business Operator.’
 
Kate Fowler, Head of Campaigns at Animal Aid says:
‘Since we first began investigating English slaughterhouses, we have been pressing everyone involved – regulators, industry bodies and the government – to act decisively to end the cruelty. At first, they appeared contrite and promised action but now their words ring hollow. If Defra won’t prosecute these flagrant breaches of the law; if the vets can’t or won’t act to stop the cruelties; and if the slaughterhouse owners look the other way, who is there to stop animals from being abused at the most vulnerable time of their lives? It seems that all involved are content to keep quiet and to allow these cruelties to continue. So much for the UK having the best welfare standards in the world!’
 

– Ends –

Cheale Meats Lts – Quality Pork – ‘RSPCA Freedom Food Approved’ – What a Joke !

– We suggest the RSPCA should investigate this further and PROSECUTE

Notes to Editors:

• For further information or to arrange an interview, contact Kate Fowler or Andrew Tyler on 01732 364546. Out of hours 07918 083 774
• A five-minute compilation film from Cheale Meats can be seen: http://vimeo.com/26056560
• A35-minute film detailing the breaches can be seen:

http://vimeo.com/26861795

Notes to accompany the 35-minute film can be seen:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_slaughter//2527//

• Screen grabs from the undercover film can be seen and downloaded:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_slaughter//2524//
 
Additional information:

• Animal Aid has secretly filmed inside eight other slaughterhouses from January 2009 until the present. Previous investigations can be seen here:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/CAMPAIGNS/slaughter//2419//
 

• While the government has so far failed to take action to curb the cruelties, the supermarkets have responded to Animal Aid’s campaign for CCTV to be installed in the slaughterhouses that supply them. Ten major supermarkets Morrisons, Waitrose, the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Aldi, Tesco, Lidl, Asda, Marks & Spencer and Iceland, along with wholesalers Booker, have now agreed to make CCTV mandatory.

• * The treatment of the injured pigs at Cheale’s slaughterhouse breaches the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations in a number of ways:

1. The occupier of a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard and any person engaged in the movement or lairaging of animals shall ensure that pending the slaughter or killing of any sick or disabled animal in the slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard, it is kept apart from any animal which is not sick or disabled.
(Schedule 3, Part II 2 (e))
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made
 
 
2. The occupier of a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard and any person engaged in the movement or lairaging of any animal shall ensure that any animal which has experienced pain or suffering during transport or following its arrival at the slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard is slaughtered or killed immediately.
(Schedule 3, Part II, paragraph 4 (a))
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made>
 
 
3. The occupier of a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard and any person engaged in the movement or lairaging of any animal shall ensure that any animal which is unable to walk is not dragged to its place of slaughter or killing but is slaughtered or killed where it lies; or if it is possible and to do so would not cause any unnecessary pain or suffering, is transported on a trolley or movable platform to a place of emergency slaughter or killing where it is then immediately slaughtered or killed.
(Schedule 3, Part II, paragraph 5 (a,b))
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made>

 
4. The occupier of a slaughterhouse or knacker’s yard and any person engaged in the movement of any animals shall ensure that every animal is moved with care and, when necessary, that animals are led individually.
(Schedule 3, Part II, paragraph 9)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made <http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made>

 
5. No person shall inflict any blow or kick to any animal.
(Schedule 3, Part II, paragraph 12)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made

 
6. No person shall lift or drag, or cause or permit to be lifted or dragged, any animal by the head, horns, ears, feet, tail, fleece or any other part of its body in such a way as to cause it unnecessary pain or suffering.
(Schedule 3, Part II, paragraph 7)
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/1995/731/schedule/3/made

UPDATE 5/8/11  **** ACTIONS: ****

The Uk government (Defra) ministers who are REFUSING TO ACT on this footage:

Jim Paice – “The worst animal welfare minister ever”:

http://www.animalaid.org.uk/h/n/NEWS/news_wildlife//2492//

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-13490348

http://www.jamespaicemp.com/

Caroline Spelman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caroline_Spelman

http://www.defra.gov.uk/corporate/about/who/ministers/spelman/

Both Ministers of the Uk Conservative government run by David Cameron –

Uk Prime Minister.

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »

SAV Comment: Please ensure you add your name to the call for 8 hours maximum journey time for animals in transport within the EU: 

visit  http://www.8hours.eu/8hours

Please note that Turkey is NOT an EU member state.

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HORRIFIC CONDITIONS IN EXPORT OF EU FARM ANIMALS TO TURKEY

Press Release by  COMPASSION IN WORLD FARMING

Severe dehydration, blistering heat and death: horrific animal welfare conditions in export of EU animals to Turkey

An investigation has been carried out by Eyes on Animals, the Animal Welfare Foundation and Compassion in World Farming, looking into the export of bulls, pregnant heifers and sheep from a number of EU Member States to Turkey.

The findings were horrific. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qugtNI2Chcc

These animals have come from Austria, Hungary, Bulgaria, Greece and Latvia with the distances travelled as far as 2,200km in some cases. 44 animal transports were checked at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey and extreme welfare problems leading to severe animal suffering were discovered.

Peter Stevenson, Chief Policy Advisor of Compassion in World Farming says: “We are calling for the European Commission to suspend the export of animals to Turkey as a matter of urgency in order to prevent further suffering by EU animals.

“Indeed, we believe that this inhumane and unnecessary trade should be brought to an end altogether. The long distances and high temperatures are too extreme to guarantee even the most minimal animal welfare standards.”

Delays lasting hours, even days, regularly occur at the border while the trucks wait for veterinary and customs clearance. During the delays animals are left in blistering heat on stationary vehicles without sufficient water and food. We witnessed deeply disturbing welfare conditions:

the animals were exhausted and often had to lie down in a thick layer of their faeces

the animals were desperate with thirst,

the ammonia smell was unbearable

the temperatures inside the vehicles were measured at up to 48°C and in one case we measured 58°C in a Bulgarian sheep truck . EU cattle are not accustomed to the extreme summer heat of Turkey and become weak and even collapse

Many animals were unloaded at the border to check their weight or sex. They were not given any water or food while they were off the vehicle and even unfit animals that could not walk were forced back on to the trucks.

In one case a bull that collapsed on the ramp was reloaded even though he could not move at all. After shoving, kicking and hitting failed to make him move, the ramp was lifted and the animal slid back into the truck. During the journey to Ankara a second bull was found lying on the vehicle floor in agony with a broken front leg.

The suffering engendered by this trade is made worse by the fact that approximately 90% of the transports that we inspected were in breach of EU Regulation 1/2005 on the protection of animals during transport. Often the animals are crammed in with insufficient floor space and have too little headroom which impairs ventilation. In many cases the water taps are not working or are not turned on or the water tank is empty. Even when the water system is working, the overcrowding means that many animals cannot reach the water devices.

The Commission was alerted to these problems by us on 5 April 2011 and again on 27 May. We urged the Commission to take action as a matter of urgency as extreme levels of suffering were likely to occur if the long delays at the border between Bulgaria and Turkey continued during the hot summer months. We were dismayed to find, when we were at the border earlier this month that the Commission and the Member States concerned have failed to take any effective action to address these problems. As a result of this failure, EU animals continue to experience immense suffering.

-Ends

Please give your support  to  http://legalaction4animalrights.net/about/

Filed under: CAMPAIGNS - Global Animal Welfare Issues, GENERAL NEWS - International / National / Regional, VIDEOS | Leave a comment »