News that land is expected to reach almost £50,000/hectare (£20,000/acre) by 2020 is a double-edged sword for the farming industry – and for our PR beyond it.
Supermarket installs CCTV to root out slaughterhouse cruelty
MORRISONS will have CCTV cameras in all its abattoirs by the end of December to root out any abuse of animal welfare.
The supermarket group will be installing cameras in the Colne, Lancashire, and Turriff, Abedreenshire, abattoirs of its wholly-owned subsidiary Woodhead Brothers by the end of next month. Cameras are already in operation in Woodhead Brothers’ Spalding site.
The group sources 95 per cent of its fresh lamb, beef and pork from Woodhead Brothers. The remainder is sourced externally, as is poultry.
It says cameras are being installed to ensure transparency about animal welfare standards, to monitor the treatment of animals, and to enable management to continuously improve systems.
Martyn Fletcher, group manufacturing director, said: “Our customers want to know that animals are treated well through the slaughtering process and we believe installing CCTV cameras is the best way to demonstrate that we have the highest possible standards.
“Morrisons is committed to the production of the highest quality food and excellence throughout our operations from field to fork. We can achieve this because we are the only major food retailer to own our own food manufacturing business.”
Footage from the CCTV cameras will be stored for 30 days and made available to the Food Standards Agency (FSA), which has gone on record as saying it would like to see cameras installed in every abattoir.
The RSPCA is also backing compulsory cameras in all meat plants. Julia Wrathall, head of RSPCA’s farm animal science department, said they were ‘delighted’ Morrisons had taken this ‘extremely important’ step in helping to safeguard animal welfare and hoped it would encourage others to do the same.
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Readers' comments (13)
Charles Henry | 19 November 2010 5:21 pm
Will You be doing the same for all your FOREIGN IMPORTS Morrisons?
You are being duplicitous; playing to the animals rights activists, just to Con your clientèle. . British Farming's Welfare and Meat Production Welfare s the finest in the World.
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Anonymous | 20 November 2010 11:12 am
Having seen the Animal Aid footage, I would think this is long overdue and all slaughterhouses should have CCTV. All the guidelines/regulations in the world make NO difference if the vet/inspector is not present. It's a fact that some slaughtermen are abusing animals when they can get away with it. If British Farming's welfare is the best, then heaven help those animals in the rest of the world.
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Marina Trofin | 20 November 2010 9:09 pm
I wonder how come I am not a vegetarian because of my love for animals? But, anyway, knowing that animals are kindly put to sleep for a humanly purpose makes me feel just a little bit....better!
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Anonymous | 23 November 2010 12:13 pm
Is this to stop live pigs going into boiling water? Have you been thoroughly investigated for this offence last year Woodheads?
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Anonymous | 23 November 2010 12:14 pm
In answer to Charles Henry, lets hope now that anyone who cares about the way animals are treated buys British!
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Susie Main | 23 November 2010 12:25 pm
I'm now going to change my shopping habits, and use Morrisons instead of my current supermarket. The installation of CCTV cameras is long overdue, and all praise to Morrisons for starting it. The documented abuse of animals in slaughterhouses is a disgrace to a civilised society.
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Darren | 23 November 2010 5:19 pm
Bring back the small abattoirs where animals were treated with respect and the slaughtering process was looked on as an art and the people who worked there were proud of what they did.
BUY FROM A LOCAL BUTCHER supermarkets dont give a monkeys about animal welfare...only MONEY
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Anonymous | 23 November 2010 6:21 pm
I totallyagree that all abattoirs should have to install CCTV - good for you Morrisons!.
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David | 23 November 2010 8:46 pm
If Morrisons know their slaughter men are been abusive to their animals sack them
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manos | 15 December 2010 11:43 pm
We are not as civilised as we would like to think. I agree with 'David 23 Nov 10' any employee behaving as shown on News at Ten last wk should be dismissed immediately for gross misconduct. CCTV cameras are only installed in Freezer areas and NOT in the actual slaughter areas. So this will NOT stop the cruely!!
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