Hundreds of protesters gather outside Kildare factory where serious animal welfare abuses are alleged to have taken place
Disturbing footage of alleged abuse filmed at the facility was aired in an RTE Investigates documentary earlier this week
Hundreds of protesters yesterday gathered outside a Kildare factory where serious animal welfare abuses are alleged to have taken place.
Demonstrators carried placards and called for the building used by Shannonside Foods Ltd in Straffan to be immediately closed down. Disturbing footage of alleged abuse filmed at the facility was aired in an RTE Investigates documentary earlier this week.
The abattoir is currently subject to a legal notice from the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine until they are satisfied with traceability.
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The department confirmed on Friday that no animals have entered the food chain from Shannonside Foods in the past three weeks. Ahead of the protest My Lovely Horse Rescue sanctuary co-founder Martina Kenny said: “The whole country is in uproar about this.”
Protesters hung ribbons on the gates of the facility in a symbolic gesture to remember the horses who died there.
MLHR co-founder and director Deborah Kenny said: “This [protest] is in memory of all the horses who have died under terrible circumstances.” She said campaigners want the site to be immediately “closed down, knocked down and never used again”.
Investigations are now underway across Europe into suspected illegal slaughtering and traceability defects among horses killed for human consumption.
A number of politicians condemned the “sickening” footage in the TV documentary which claimed illegal methods were used to launder the identities of horses.
Agriculture Minister Charlie McConalogue vowed those responsible will face the “full rigour of the law”. He said: “The scenes we saw... and the treatment of those horses was abhorrent and distressing.
“Horses are beautiful, sensitive animals and that was absolutely unacceptable. We already have commenced an investigation in the Department of Agriculture.
“I can assure you and I can assure the public that this will be fully investigated and that the full rigour of the law will be applied here.”
Horse Racing Ireland urged anyone with information about the mistreatment of horses to report it to gardai. Minister for Finance Michael McGrath said that he was also “sickened and appalled” by the mistreatment of the “beautiful animals”.
In response to RTE Investigates Shannonside Foods said it rejects the claims made in the documentary. It said it takes its legal responsibilities seriously, and operated in compliance with its licence.
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