Forge Farm meats was the fourteenth slaughterhouse investigated. We captured secret footage taken over the course of three days between April 12 and May 15, 2017 inside Forge Farm slaughterhouse. This revealed serious cause for concern over the way the animals were treated prior to slaughter, including stunning methods.
- • Deliberate abuse. One animal was smacked in the face and sworn at.
- • Incompetent stunning of animals. They suspect that many animals may have simply received painful electric shocks and gone to the knife fully conscious.
- • Disregard for the welfare of animals, with slaughterhouse workers sometimes standing on the backs of animals, a sheep being thrown to the floor and a sheep being dragged along by her fleece.
- • One animal fell from the kill line and was simply hung back up on the line without being re-stunned. She appeared to be blinking, a sign of consciousness.
- • A sheep brought into the slaughterhouse in a wheelbarrow. The group suspect that she must have been too sick or lame to walk.
What Happened?
The damning footage was processed and promptly handed over to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), the body that regulates slaughterhouses, for further investigation. The case was referred up to the Crown Prosecution Service before being finally being brought to court. The case was heard from 20 January at Sevenoaks Magistrates Court. Sadly, the judge decided not to proceed with the case and refused to admit the evidence.