Roasting for Xmas bird farm
VEGANS held a candlelit vigil outside a farm to mourn nine slaughtered turkeys.
The group stood in silence at its gates with a sign which read: “They wanted to live.”
St Werburgh’s City Farm in Bristol sparked outrage among animal rights activists last week with plans to raffle or auction its turkeys.
The charity farm, which educates people about animal welfare and where food comes from, cancelled the raffle in the face of opposition.
But it still had the birds slaughtered.
Sarah Nicol, one of seven protesters who turned out, said: “There’s a lot of anger that the turkeys are dead, but we just want people to have a peaceful outlet for their grief.
“They were nine individuals, rather than nameless animals in a slaughterhouse.”
She said city farms should stop raising animals for meat, adding: “We’re hopeful that Bristol’s city farms can move towards being sanctuaries.”
St Werburgh’s chiefs said they would not be making that move.
They added: “Having listened to the views of a small section of our community, we decided not to hold our annual public turkey auction.
“However, the aims and objectives of the farm remain unchanged and our turkeys have been sold for Christmas.”