BVA calls for action on Essex animal abuse

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) is calling for government action against an Essex abattoir that is being accused of severe animal welfare abuses.

Footage has been obtained by Animal Aid showing pigs being mistreated at the facility in a way that contravenes legislation relating to the upkeep of animals for slaughter.

As such, the BVA is insisting that the Food Standards Agency considers prosecuting the site, stating that the current lack of action is a cause for concern.

BVA president Harvey Locke has also suggested that CCTV should be utilised at the point of stunning and slaughter within abattoirs to ensure that effective procedures are being implemented at all times.

"There must be confidence in the systems that regulate and license slaughter and the people responsible for carrying it out," he explained.

This comes after the organisation called for the EU to implement laws that would require meat that has been obtained from animals that were not stunned before slaughter to be specifically labelled.