Animal activists charged over pig slaughterhouse gas chamber protests

Six activists accused of breaking into a pig slaughterhouse to protest the use of carbon dioxide to kill animals have been charged with aggravated trespass.

Filmmaker Joey Carbstrong was arrested along with four other men and two women at Cranswick Country Foods abattoir in Warton, near Thetford, Norfolk.

The arrests were made two days later independent Secret footage from a slaughterhouse shows a worker beating pigs as they were prepared to be put into the gas chambers.

The abattoir supplies Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, as well as Marks and Spencer supermarkets.

Mr. Cabstrong is producing a documentary called they promiseaims to highlight how most pigs in UK abattoirs are killed using gas, which is considered extremely cruel.

He said: “These disgusting torture chambers are currently operating in the UK and around the world. This is a horror that is allowed by law to happen when animals have no rights to protect them.”

He added: “The pig industry does not want people to know what is happening to the millions of pigs in UK abattoirs every year.

“The people who should be in police custody are the ones who are making huge amounts of money from abuse and suffering.”

Norfolk Police said five men and two women were arrested after officers received reports of protesters entering a food store in Warton just after 6am on Wednesday. The seven were later charged.

Police said Joseph Armstrong, 37, of no fixed abode; Karl Baker, 26, of Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells; Amelia Fishlock, 31, Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells; Douglas Maw, 55, Arundel Main Road, Yapton, Arundel. Calvin Tasker, 38, of Mellen Street, Redditch, Worcestershire, and Jacob Ball, 32, of Kingswinford, West Midlands, both He was charged with aggravated trespass and is due to appear at Norwich Magistrates’ Court on May 10.

A woman in her twenties was released on bail to appear at Wymondham Police Investigation Center on July 2 on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass.

A spokesman for Cranswick said: “Seven people have been arrested following a serious trespass at the Cranswick site in Warton. An individual entered the site illegally; police were immediately notified and arrests were made.”