MORRISONS has pledged to step up training after undercover footage caught workers “using excessive and inappropriate force” at one of its abattoirs.
Animal Justice Project has released a video this week taken at Woodhead Brothers, in Brunel Road, Spalding, Lincolnshire, which is owned by Bradford-based Morrisons, late last year.
An undercover agent for the project secretly filmed practices at the abattoir and the organisation said it would pass on its findings to the authorities, Red Tractor, RSPCA, and Morrisons.
A spokesperson for Morrisons, which has its headquarters off Gain Lane, in Thornbury, said the supermarket giant "cares deeply about animal welfare" but admitted there is "concerning footage" in relation to a pig arriving at the slaughterhouse with an injury.
The firm also said the video shows a piece of equipment - the rattle - being used with more force than necessary and that this "is totally unacceptable".
The spokesperson for Morrisons said: "We care deeply about animal welfare, both in our own operations and throughout our supply chain, and we're confident that our training and monitoring systems are among the best in the industry.
“There is however very concerning footage of a pig that arrived at the abattoir with a clear injury to its front leg.
“We are looking carefully into how this happened.
“The video also shows more forceful than necessary use of the rattle - which is totally unacceptable - and will be dealt with.
“We will also be stepping up the training of third-party hauliers and our own colleagues, ensuring the safe movement of animals on our sites."
Animal Justice Project said staff can be seen using paddles violently to coerce pigs along the “race”.
The organisation also said it noticed staff yelling and swearing at the animals – using words such as “b*****ds” - despite regulations underlining the need for calm and quiet moving in slaughterhouses.
Ex-pig veterinarian Dr Alice Brough MRCVS, who viewed the footage, said: “Pigs are being subjected to severe stress, in what is already a very frightening environment for them.
“Some are unloaded with problems like extreme lameness, hernias and other ailments that would render them ‘unfit for transport’.
“Workers are then seen to handle them without care, in some instances using excessive and inappropriate force.”
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