A slaughterhouse operative in Staffordshire has been sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment after illegal practices were filmed at his abattoir by covert cameras installed by a non-profit organisation. The subsequent investigation was carried out by the FSA and Staffordshire Council.
The operative, Anthony Bagshaw, pleaded guilty to 24 offences, which included:
- serious animal welfare breaches
- food safety offences (illegal slaughter without inspections taking place or slaughtering a species he was not licensed to slaughter)
- movement of animals without proper authorisation
- trading standards offences (sale of meat without traceability information).
In passing sentence at Stafford Crown Court, the judge said that Mr Bagshaw ‘disregarded regulatory requirements deliberately and over a long period’. He described some of the welfare offences – such as hitting sheep on the head with a stun gun or kicking a pig in the face – as ‘wanton cruelty’, and remarked that ‘your ill treatment of a number of animals was a shock even to an observer with no interest in the welfare of stock for slaughter’.
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Sustain: Sustain The alliance for better food and farming advocates food and agriculture policies and practices that enhance the health and welfare of people and animals, improve the working and living environment, enrich society and culture and promote equity.
