An undercover investigator who worked at 25 farms in England during summer has released footage which shows shocking animal abuse.
The footage was recorded by an investigator from animal rights group Peta Asia, as he worked with two shearing contractors.
The eyewitness said he saw cruelty in every one of the 25 farming sheds visited.
Footage shows shearers stamping, punching and standing on sheep's heads and necks. One person slams a sheep's head onto a hard wooden floor.
The undercover investigator also said workers didn’t give sheep any pain relief before piercing their flesh with a needle.
BREAKING INVESTIGATION: @PETAAsia has released the first-ever video exposé of cruelty in #England's wool industry. It shows workers beating, stamping on, kicking, mutilating, and throwing around sheep.
— PETA Asia (@PETAAsia) August 22, 2018
TAKE ACTION: https://t.co/irnvRhI1aI pic.twitter.com/fOkiQa7n4p
Some animals were suffering from reported mastitis – a painful infection of the udder – prolapsed uteruses, and bloody hooves.
The eyewitness said he never saw injured or sick sheep receive any veterinary care.
A farmer was also caught dragging two sheep who were unable to walk into a shed and left them without veterinary care. They eventually died, and several more died of a condition that a farmer called a “heart attack” during shearing.
'Deliberately inflicted'
According to Donald Maurice Broom, Professor of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Cambridge, sewing up a cut without any anaesthesia is contrary to the recommendations for legal practice by the World Organisation for Animal Health.
Clive Phillips, Professor of Animal Welfare at the University of Queensland said of the footage: "Throwing sheep from a significant height … when they are in a state of extreme distress is likely to result in injury to the sheep, broken limbs, neck etc.
"Such an experience undoubtedly constitutes suffering on the part of the sheep. [These actions were] deliberately inflicted and lasted for more than just a short period of time."
In a joint statement British Wool, the NFU, National Sheep Association, National Association of Agricultural Contractors, and Farmers Union of Wales said: "Having not had access to the footage taken by Peta we are unable to comment on this specific claim.
"However, farmers and contractors in the sheep industry take animal welfare very seriously and any behaviour that is found to fall below that standard is not tolerated."
The footage has been sent to the RSPCA, which is now investigating.
