July 12, 2010

 

 

Sainsbury's plans for expansion to Anglo Beef Processors (ABP) have been withdrawn amid animal cruelty allegations and the suspension of a supermarket contract.

 

The company confirmed yesterday that it stopped selling meat slaughtered at the North Dorset abattoir at Manston, near Sturminster Newton in March.

 

Planners at North Dorset District Council said ABP had withdrawn plans within the last few weeks for a huge new refrigeration plant prompted by a supermarket contract. This decision follows the publication of video footage allegedly gained from the plant in which cows are beaten and shot multiple times in the skull with stun bolts.

 

"We treat any allegations of animal cruelty extremely seriously. We were made aware of the situation at the ABP abattoir at Sturminster Newton in March and immediately suspended all supply from the site. Since then supply has not resumed and we continue to assess their progress against an agreed action plan of improvements," a Sainsbury's spokesman said.

 

Animal Aid, a campaign group, claims to have secretly filmed the plant's "stunning box" for two days in January, and alleged that 12% of the 114 cows filmed were stunned multiple times due to the absence of a shelf to restrain the animal's head. They alleged that cattle were kept into the stun box for over an hour before being stunned, and said video footage posted on their website of a slaughterman beating a cow with a mop was filmed inside the Manston plant.

 

Andrew Tyler, Animal Aid's director, praised Sainsbury's decision to suspend supply from the plant saying it was vitally important that supermarkets used purchasing power to ensure welfare standards were upheld. His group sent its footage to a division of the government's Food Standards Agency in March. An FSA spokesman said yesterday: "ABP is currently being investigated with a view to prosecution."

 

Planners at North Dorset District Council said documentation to support an application for "substantial" expansion of the plant's refrigerated capacity cited a supermarket contract. The application had been withdrawn on June 11 because of "unresolved drainage and landscape issues," the planning officer said, adding that he believed it would be resubmitted.

 

An ABP spokesman said "robust" action had since been taken by the firm at its Manston plant, including the "comprehensive" retraining of staff and installation of CCTV cameras.

 

"Whilst we note that the Competent Authority has said that none of the animals featured in the footage at Sturminster Newton appeared to be unduly distressed and the filming at Sturminster Newton did not identify some of the worst examples filmed by Animal Aid, we expect animal welfare to be nothing less than an absolute priority for all our staff. Whilst it is one of our smaller factories, the ABP plant at Sturminster Newton is an important facility, both for us, and for the local rural economy. We are committed to the long term sourcing of cattle from the South West. We already have exciting plans for the site and are fully committed to our current planning application," the spokesman said.

 

The Food Standards Agency investigated on the issue following the release of the footage. As a result, four staff members at three abattoirs lost their slaughtering licences and four more had their licences suspended. While this is a positive step, these atrocities are not the exception; similar abuse has been seen in six out of the seven slaughterhouses investigated and is almost certainly occurring in slaughterhouses across the country. Time and time again, welfare regulations were flaunted, and slaughterhouse workers showed absolutely no sign of compassion or consideration for animals.