[Eve]

A long detailed report is ready for Animal Health, photographs of the pigs' heads and all.

Animal Health said that at the small abattoirs (which this one is, family run) there's only a vet for perhaps an hour or so, rather than continuously as in the larger operations.

I also have the impression that this man is part of the family who runs the place. It sure didn't stop him that several members of staff and (by the end) several customers were watching. His face is etched in my memory.

I live about an hour north of London. I'd be happy to travel a few hours with the pigs if people here think that'd be ok for them (perhaps at night?), so any suggestions of an abattoir that has consistently been found to be good are welcome.

Thankyou all for your reactions, it's much appreciated.


Eve

[shetlandpaul]

see if the rspca can recommend a good humane one. home kill is an option but you would have to be prepared for the blood and guts and working out how to de bristle them. if done by a proper slaughterman they should not even be aware of anything. so it is an option.

[smiffy]

I also have the impression that this man is part of the family who runs the place. It sure didn't stop him that several members of staff and (by the end) several customers were watching. His face is etched in my memory.


Eve

what on earth did the other customers say? i think i would have turned my trailer around!!

[Hilarysmum]

I thought that once on the abattoir premises it was illegal to remove the pigs so you couldnt have taken them away, which he was relying on.  If he is such a sadistic b....... then he shouldnt be working with animals family or no.  I am so sorry you have been put through this.  Its great that you are not giving in. HM

[chickenfeed]

  your right once there the animals have to be unloaded.
 we are very lucky we have 2 slaughter houses close by both small we very often see trading standards there overseeing eveything, they hide nothing if you want to wait untill your pigs get taken through you can, some people do this.

i am sorry you have had such a bad experience it is totally unacceptable.

[mochasidamo]

Which abattoir was it???

I am in Powys and am planing to send my pigs to the Daysdrove abattoir in Bishop's Castle.

Was it them?

I know you probably can't say much on an open(ish) internet forum because of defamation etc but a simple yes or no would be very helpful.

What a shock :-(

Susanna

The BC abattoir is recently reopened so, at a guess, does not have much of a track record. No idea who's running it. The previous management and attitude was a key reason why we stopped breeding for meat and I am now vegetarian. We now have a happy, for life, fleece flock.

In spite of size and distance the service offered by Hamers at Llanidloes was MUCH better and on a par with those we used to use in E Anglia before moving.

FWIW  I believe that, if you must eat pork, that having them shot by a professional as they go happily up the path one day at home is the ONLY humane way for such sentient beings.

[smiffy]

your right once there the animals have to be unloaded.

my understanding is that if they have not left the trailer you can turn around, but i may be wrong

once the pigs are off the trailer they can not be reloaded....what a horendous position to be in

[Eve]

Mochasidamo, I share your feelings: I would like a relaxed walk and a minute with their head down a bucket of bananamash to be their last journey, and that may well be the case next year.

It's been just over a week now and I still can't think straight. I'm not at all a weak person (normally very happy and strong), but this was just too much.


Eve

[jameslindsay]

Eve, use your anger to your advantage and make as much noise as possible and hopefully someone will listen and make changes. 

[smiffy]

eve which slaughter house was it?

[Helencus]

God I've just bought a boar to start breeding for meat and this has scared me. How do I go about ensuring the abattoir we will use is humane? So sorry you had this experience Eve keep up the fight and spread the word. What about calling the local paper?

[Hilarysmum]

Helencus, go along to the abattoir and check it out.  We did, (with not enough French to explain) ours is a big commercial abattoir and we are very happy with the treatment.  We wait until the pigs go through (never more than a couple of minutes).  No one on the pig handling side has blood on them, that thought frightens me more than anything.  Was the blood from dead pigs or abused ones?

[chickenfeed]

we visited both our local slaughter houses without any notice stood at the lairage area for a good 20 mins watching pigs being unloaded and walked through to slaughter before we introduced ourselfs and booked any animals in. we have a very highly visable trading standards visits at both sites.

[Castle Farm]

As usual the powers that be do sweet sod all about these evil bastards that work in slaughter houses.

I think it's about time all producers of animals that are forced to use slaughter houses to get their animals humanly dispatched kicked up a real fuss about the standards at some of these places.

This sort of vicious behavior is unacceptable in todays society and needs to be stopped once and for all.

We have a voice and it's about time someone took some notice.

How do you start a petition and where do you send it to have to best effect??

[ellisr]

If it is illegal or not to load the pigs back on to the trailer I would have demanded that they were put in a pen and rang the police and animal welfare, so that I could have my animals treat fairly. Abbatoirs cannot use this power as an excuse to abuse, I would have shocked him to see how he liked it.