Viva! 8 York Court Wilder Street Bristol BS2 8QH Tel: 0117 944 1000 Fax: 0117 924 4646 email: media@viva.org.uk	19 September 2000 Meat Hygiene Service accused of failing to protect animals in abattoirs Photocall: Tuesday 26 September at 2pm at MHS headquarters, Kings Pool, 1-2 Peasholme Green, York The animal charity Viva! is accusing the Meat Hygiene Service of failing to protect animals’ welfare in British abattoirs. At 2 pm on Tuesday 26th September, a ‘slaughterman’ will ‘kill’ a pantomime pig on the steps of the MHS headquarters in York as part of a national demonstration. Campaigners will hold placards saying, ‘Abattoir cruelty: MHS approved’ and ‘MHS: No protection for animals’. The demonstration follows a major expose of the UK’s slaughter industry by Viva!. Video evidence shot at three British abattoirs shows animals being stunned for as little as two seconds and regaining consciousness as they bleed to death. Clearly conscious sheep and pigs are shown struggling violently as they hang from shackles on the slaughter line. The animal charity has reviewed the latest scientific literature for its 58-page Sentenced to Death report which reveals that stunning techniques cause suffering and that every year, tens of millions of animals regain consciousness before they die. Five million electrically stunned sheep regain consciousness before they die from loss of blood. 1.8 million electrically stunned pigs regain consciousness before they die. 244,800 pigs a year are incorrectly stunned and do not lose consciousness. Four million pigs are stunned with carbon dioxide gas. It takes them up to 30 seconds to lose consciousness and during that time they will squeal, hyperventilate and try to escape. Up to 230,000 cattle are not correctly stunned with the captive bolt pistol and endure the pain of being shot again or knifed whilst conscious. 62 million chickens, turkeys, ducks and geese regain consciousness and at least 8.4 million are conscious when they enter the scalding tank. Slaughterhouses are continuing to pay workers according to the number of animals killed and both workers and inspectors are under pressure not to stop the line, whatever the needs of the animals. Slaughterhouses frequently have no trained staff. MHS vets and inspectors are obliged to observe stunning and killing once a day and Viva! believes that major animal welfare problems are going unnoticed. “In the abattoirs we visited, MHS staff spent the majority of their time monitoring carcass hygiene after slaughter. Slaughtermen were frequently left to stun and kill the animals without any direct supervision and we witnessed serious problems as a result,” says Viva! Campaigner Rebecca Smith. Viva!’s report contains an account from Gabriele Meurer MRCVS, who was a vet in UK slaughterhouses and has serious concerns about animal welfare. She says, “The problem is worst with the pigs. The slaughtermen are in such a hurry that they often don’t put the electric tongs in the correct position. Some wake up while they bleed and are obviously still conscious when they are plunged into the boiling water. Sheep are stunned just as badly.” Ends For a fully referenced report, pictures or video footage, contact Rebecca Smith, Juliet Gellatley or Tony Wardle on 0117 944 1000.