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Police probe cruelty allegations at Essex abbatoir

8:30am Monday 1st August 2011 in News

ESSEX Police is investigating alleged animal cruelty after footage appeared to show pigs being attacked.

Officers are examining the footage and how it was obtained by the animal rights group, Animal Aid, which claims it filmed the abuse at an abbatoir in Little Warley.

The group says it put a camera in at Orchard Farm, which is run by Elmkirk (Cheale Meats) Ltd.

Animal Aid claims the footage shows pigs being burnt with cigarettes and beaten with bats.

Jamie Foster, Elmkirk’s solicitor, said: “Given the source of this material, Elmkirk would not accept that all or any of the activities shown on this video relate to their premises.

“I have been involved in cases previously where such evidence has been ruled to be inadmissible or the prosecution has declined to rely on evidence which has been obtained by burglary or other unlawful means.”

Government department Defra is not investigating the footage because of issues as to how it was obtained.

Comments(10)

shallotman says...
9:20am Mon 1 Aug 11

Isn't this an RSPCA approved site !

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taffyapple84 says...
11:26am Mon 1 Aug 11

They have issues how it was obtained?! so they don't have issues in how these poor pigs are treated?! this is shocking!! an utter disgrace.

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snoswad says...
1:23pm Mon 1 Aug 11

how this footage was obtained is surely not the issue.how any sane individual can view these pictures and not be moved i find incredible.sometime ago i watched on tv a program showing animals killed butchered and cooked.as viewers we were assured that the methods of slaughter, of the animals, shown in program were those used in all slaughter houses.this clearly is not the case.the job has dehumanised these individuals.i cannot help but think this is wide spread in the industry.

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gardenman says...
2:56pm Mon 1 Aug 11

you would think that pigs would investigate pigs being abused,whole country has gone to the dogs.

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Balexan says...
3:44pm Mon 1 Aug 11

Truely dispicable act of cruelty to an animal whose fete is already set to be used for food. This is not the way to treat a sentient creature.
I would love to see the men treated in the same way, but this is not something that would be entertained.
The country seems completely blase to this, and yet, if it were dogs (like they eat in other parts of the world) the place would of been shut down. Thanks to the thinking of people today, i have to say that I do not think this should be done to dogs, not a single animal deserves to be treated with anything less than respect.
Can't say i particularly approve of all the methods animal activists take, but I hope they find these two and give them a taste of their own medicine.
These men belong in a medical testing facility!
At least then they would of real benefit to the rest of us

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bestell says...
8:02pm Mon 1 Aug 11

I am shocked and appalled that people in this day and age still have the ability to be so utterly cruel.
Not only should this place be shut down entirely, as it clearly is not managed effectively, but these men should be held responsible and prosecuted for these disgusting acts of cruelty so any future employer can see what a disgusting failure and waste of space each of them are.

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André says...
1:48am Tue 2 Aug 11

The whole reason the animal rights investigators went in and filmed UNDERCOVER was because that is the only way to catch people committing these sorts of barbaric offences against animals. The police only have funding for undercover work against drug dealers so they wouldnt have resources for this. This site was allegedly RSPCA approved so its unlikely the RSPCA would embarass itself by investigating a site it had already approved, DEFRA doesnt give two hoots about Animal Welfare as we've seen with such barbaric activity as the Foot and Mouth Cull (there is a vaccine and a treatement for Foot and Mouth but DEFRA prefers wholesale slaughter.

The animal rights group here has obtained this footage without recourse to violence, if the police/government agencies refuse to investigate on the basis it was obtaine covertly, how exactly do people gather such evidence of cruelty?

The whole site should be closed and all the staff suspended whilst a full and open police investigation takes place.

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Wayland says...
2:42am Tue 2 Aug 11

"Defra is not investigating the footage because of issues as to how it was obtained".

What an absolute joke in the wake of the 'News Of The World' scandal.

The whole organization is f&&&&&d if that is their response!

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shallotman says...
7:50am Tue 2 Aug 11

Seems that DEFRA is just another job for the boy's.

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Ake30li says...
8:04pm Thu 4 Aug 11

Can it be proved that it was actually an employee of the abbatoir?

The company could easily say it wasn't one of their employees, couldn't they?

Without a positive identification of the individual attacking the animals how could anyone be prosecuted?

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