After a the department displayed a lamentable lack of action in bringing to justice operatives at an Essex slaughterhouse who were filmed abusing animals, animal rights organisation Animal Aid has successfully stripped Defra of its former role in prosecuting wrongdoers.

Animal Aid’s campaign to see Defra stripped of its prosecution powers has culminated this week in confirmation that the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) will now take over this role. The news comes in the wake of a media furore caused by Defra’s refusal to prosecute Cheale Meats, an Essex slaughterhouse where workers were filmed burning pigs with cigarettes, punching an animal in the head and forcing seriously injured pigs to drag themselves to slaughter.

The footage was obtained by Animal Aid and handed over to the Food Standards Ageny, but the FSA said there was no point investigating because Defra, formerly tasked with pursuing legal action in such cases, was unable act on evidence gained without the slaughterhouse’s permission. Instead two of the slaughterers involved had their licences revoked by the FSA.

The organisation has alleged that the decision to abandon these prosecutions was politically motivated as the previous Labour government investigated and brought criminal charges in such cases. It contended that Defra should not be both the industry’s champion and its regulator due to potential conflicts of interest.

The Attourney General announced on 12th August that the CPS would be taking over prosecution duties in such cases. The announcement  was welcomed by Kate Fowler, head of Campaigns at Animal Aid, who said, “We are heartened that future decisions about slaughterhouse prosecutions will fall to the CPS. Defra is much too close to the industry and, as a result of this, many slaughterhouse workers have escaped prosecution, including some whose actions can only be described as sadistic. We hope that this change will lead to the individuals recently filmed burning, kicking and punching pigs at an Essex slaughterhouse being charged and prosecuted.”

Campaigners to protest at DEFRA Head Office

Animal welfare campaigners have called for independently-monitored CCTV to be installed in all UK slaughterhouses, which they believe will prevent such abuses from happening again. Several supermarkets, including Morrisons, Waitrose, the Co-op, Sainsbury’s, Tesco, Asda and Marks & Spencer, have already made CCTV monitoring in their suppliers’ slaughterhouses mandatory. 

Animal Aid supporters will protest dressed as blood-stained slaughtermen and pigs outside Defra’s London head office on Tuesday 30th August, asking members of the public to sign a petition calling for CCTV in all UK slaughterhouses.