The footage shows how shearers threw animals on and off the back of lorries, twisted their necks and limbs, hit their heads and bodies on hard floors, kicked animals in the stomach, violently punched them in the face and jabbed them in the head with heavy metal clippers.
JANE DALTON: ‘An undercover investigation revealed horrific cruelty and abuse behind the scenes as sheep were sheared on British farms… A PETA investigator reported seeing illegal cruelty in every one of the 25 English farming sheds visited by two shearing contractor companies over 15 days…
Animals could be seen writhing in agony as they were violently hit, punched and stamped on, and had their limbs twisted. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA], which carried out the secret filming, appealed for shoppers to avoid buying items made of wool, claiming the scenes were commonplace in the industry.
The footage shows how shearers stood on sheeps’ heads and necks, pinning them down to stop them moving, threw animals on and off the back of lorries, twisted their necks and limbs, and hit their heads and bodies on hard floors. In other cases workers kicked animals in the stomach, violently punched them in the face and jabbed them in the head with heavy metal clippers. Some of the clips were too horrific for The Independent to show…
PETA said some animals were suffering from mastitis – a painful infection of the udder – prolapsed uteruses and bloody hooves. The shearers, who also work for other contractors around the UK, were filmed handling sheep as though they were inanimate objects, scraping their bodies and heads against the lorry edges as they dragged the animals on and off lorries…
The RSPCA, which has prosecution powers, said on Twitter: “We share PETA’s concerns in particular of the poor handling, shearing technique and aggression shown toward the sheep. Our Inspectorate are now investigating the footage to determine any further action”.’ SOURCE…
RELATED VIDEO: