Two men have been arrested at a 'horrific' slaughterhouse involved in the production of the West African delicacy 'smokies'.
Dyfed-Powys Police arrested the two men at a Pembrokeshire slaughterhouse on January 21.
Approximately 15 sheep were found at the site, with the police force calling the conditions 'horrific'.
Smokies are a West African delicacy. In the UK, they are often made from illegally butchered sheep where the skin of the animal is left on and blow-torched, and the spine is not removed, in contravention of UK and EU law.
A spokesman for Pembrokeshire county council said: “The individuals arrested have been released pending ongoing enquiries.
A little re-cap of yesterday’s horrific job...the importance of community intelligence, communication and our vital relationships with our partner agencies and the exposure of such illegal practices @NWPRuralCrime @DyfedPowys @PGCCMarkCollins pic.twitter.com/SF5gsGRNkY
— Rural Crime Team: Dyfed-Powys Police (@DPruralpolicing) January 22, 2019
“Investigations are underway relating to a range of potential offences under food safety, animal by-products, and animal welfare legislation.
‘Smokies’ are a processed sheep product which are considered to be a delicacy by some ethnic communities.
“They cannot be legally produced and the sheep are always slaughtered, processed, distributed and sold illegally on the black market, typically in urban areas with large ethnic communities.”
