Undercover film reveals abuse at horse abattoir
Sunday 20 January 2013
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EmailTwo slaughtermen have had their licences withdrawn after being identified in shocking undercover footage showing appalling animal welfare conditions at a horse abattoir.
Horses at the Red Lion Abattoir near Nantwich, Cheshire, were shown being beaten with an iron rod and sticks to encourage them into pens.
The film recorded during an eight-week investigation by the Hillside Animal Sanctuary group also showed horses crammed into slaughter pens in pairs before being illegally stunned together.
Under the Welfare of Animals Regulations 1995, horses should not be slaughtered in sight of one another because of the distress it causes.
Both the Food Standards Agency (FSA) and RSPCA charity are investigating.
The FSA withdrew the licences of the two men after viewing the footage, which means they cannot continue to slaughter animals, and is considering prosecuting.
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