Abattoir workers jailed for abuse of pigs
Two former employees of Cheale Meats slaughterhouse have been given custodial sentences by Westminster Magistrates Court after pleading guilty to offences under the Animal Welfare Act 2006. Kelly Smith, 40, of Benfleet admitted two counts concerning the beating of animals and Piotr Andrzej Wasiuta, 29, of Southend admitted three charges concerning the stubbing out of cigarettes on pigs' faces. Smith received a four week sentence and Wasiuta a six week sentence, both of which were reduced from seven and nine weeks respectively due to their guilty pleas.
Both men had been recorded by covert cameras installed by the animal rights organisation Animal Aid during March and April 2011, and the Bench was shown the footage gained as a result during the trial. The case was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Crown Prosecution Service after the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), which would normally responsible for prosecutions of this kind, declined to bring a prosecution due to the mistaken belief that the footage could not be used in court.
Commenting, Animal Aid's Head of Campaigns Kate Fowler said “We are satisfied that Wasiuta and Smith have now been brought to justice. Their acts of cruelty were inexcusable and caused untold suffering to animals who were already scared and vulnerable. However, many other slaughterhouse workers, who also caused serious and deliberate suffering to animals, have escaped justice because this government refused to act. We are now calling on the Food Standards Agency to look again at two other cases to see whether charges may be brought under the Animal Welfare Act.”
With Strangles Awareness Week just around the corner (5-11 May), vets are being encouraged to share a survey about the disease with their horse-owning clients.
