Sheep shearers face probe after 24 farms hit by claims of cruelty
SHEEP shearers at 24 farms are being investigated for animal cruelty after shocking videos of abuse emerged online.
The horrific footage shows workers punching, stamping on and beating sheep with electric wool clippers, leaving many of the animals bloodied and dazed.
Explicit film also shows workers throwing clearly distressed animals off high-sided shearing trailers and violently slamming their heads into the floor to keep them under control.
Some of the animals look barely able to stand after the treatment and one worker is heard saying a sick-looking sheep would be shot.
The Scottish SPCA and the National Farmers Union Scotland
‘Industry prides itself on standards’
(NFU) yesterday confirmed they were investigating the claims and the validity of the film.
Scottish SPCA Chief Superintendent Mike Flynn said: ‘We have received reports of alleged abuse within wool farms in Scotland. Our investigations are ongoing.’
Penny Middleton, NFU Scotland’s animal health and welfare policy manager, said the images shown do not reflect the standards expected on Scottish farms.
She added: ‘We would support action being taken against the individuals shown if these images are indeed from Scottish farms.
‘Animal welfare is of the utmost importance to Scottish livestock farmers and the industry prides itself on achieving high standards of animal welfare.’
Miss Middleton said the behaviour shown in the videos was not typical of shearing in Scotland.
She added: ‘Shearing should be carried out calmly and carefully, but to suggest that sheep should not be shorn is irresponsible.’
The footage was handed to the NFU and Scottish SPCA by animal rights group PETA Asia.
The organisation claims a worker recorded the abuse earlier this year on 24 farms in West Lothian, Fife, the Scottish Borders, Dumfries and Galloway, East Lothian, Midlothian and South Lanarkshire. PETA says shearing con- tractors who tour farms are paid by volume, not by the hour, which encourages fast, violent handling that causes gaping wounds on the animals’ bodies.
PETA have submitted the video and a 12-page formal complaint to the Scottish SPCA in the hope of criminal charges being filed.
Scotland’s National Sheep Association chairman John Fyall said: ‘We will help the Scottish SPCA in any way we can. There’s no place for the mistreatment of sheep in Scotland.
‘If they had come to us with the evidence at the time we could have done more about it.
‘We pride ourselves on doing a good job and if anybody’s treating sheep like that we want to catch it immediately.’
Jason Baker of PETA Asia said: ‘The production of all wool spells extreme suffering and death for millions of sheep and lambs.’