Inside the halal house of horrors: Sickening footage shows 'evil' abattoir staff 'taunting sheep before hacking them to pieces'

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2937206/Halal-abattoir-staff-hacked-taunted-sheep-One-worker-sacked-three-suspended-caught-camera-carrying-horrifying-routine-abuse.html

Slaughtermen caught on camera 'hacking and sawing' at animals' throats
Sheep filmed being kicked, with one worker standing on an animal's neck
Staff laughed as a sheep bled to death with spectacles painted on its face
'Horrifying abuse' captured by animal rights campaigners at halal abattoir
One worker has been sacked and another three have been suspended
The Food Standards Agency has launched an urgent investigation
RSCPA and British Veterinary Association condemn 'shocking' footage
100,000-strong BVA petition means slaughter will be debated in Commons
Muslim Council of Britain: Findings are 'abhorrent in Islamic practice'
WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT

By Chris Brooke for the Daily Mail and Dan Bloom for MailOnline

Published: 00:10 GMT, 3 February 2015 | Updated: 12:44 GMT, 3 February 2015

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A worker at a halal abattoir has been sacked and three others suspended after being filmed breaking strict rules on slaughtering sheep.

The men could face prosecution for the ‘horrifying yet routine abuse’ captured by animal rights campaigners using hidden cameras.

Slaughtermen at the Bowood Lamb abattoir in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, are seen ‘hacking and sawing’ at animals’ throats in apparent contravention of Islamic practice.

The RSPCA slammed the 'absolutely shocking' footage amid renewed calls to ban halal slaughter, which is opposed by the British Veterinary Association and 100,000 people in an online petition.

Slaughterhouse horror - sheep have throats cut without stunning

Sickening: A worker at a halal abattoir has been sacked and three others suspended after being filmed breaking strict rules on slaughtering sheep

Horrifying: The men could face prosecution for the 'routine abuse' captured by animal rights campaigners using secret cameras

Sheep at Bowood Lamb were filmed being kicked, lifted and hurled, with one worker recorded standing on a conscious sheep’s neck.

Staff are also alleged to have erupted in laughter over a sheep bleeding to death with spectacles drawn around her eyes in green paint.

Slaughtermen were allegedly filmed ‘taunting and frightening’ animals by waving knives, smacking them on the head and shouting at them.

And instead of praying as the sheep were killed, the Muslim workers chatted as a radio ‘blared out Christmas songs’ and colleagues sang along.

The footage has been released by Animal Aid campaigners and handed to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to investigate.

Slaughtermen at the Bowood Lamb abattoir in Thirsk, North Yorkshire, are allegedly seen ‘hacking and sawing’ at animals’ throats in apparent contravention of Islamic practice

Instead of praying as the sheep were killed, the Muslim workers chatted as a radio ‘blared out Christmas songs’

Secretly-placed hidden cameras were used to record practices during slaughter over a period of three days in December.

Kate Fowler, head of campaigns at Animal Aid, said: ‘The vicious attacks on defenceless, frightened animals at Bowood are inexcusable.

‘All four conveyor operators we filmed over three days abused animals to varying degrees, while the slaughterers looked on unmoved.’

She added: ‘This is the 10th slaughterhouse in which we have filmed undercover, and it is the ninth to be caught breaking animal welfare laws.

‘None of the abuses we uncovered would have come to light without our cameras being in place, even though there is a Government-appointed vet at each slaughterhouse.’

The law requires abattoirs to stun animals before slaughter to prevent unnecessary suffering, but there are exemptions for Jewish and Muslim producers.