Abattoir licence revoked over welfare breaches

Local residents called for the abattoir's closure last month

An abattoir has had its licence revoked following an investigation into animal welfare breaches by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).

Covert footage filmed by an animal rights activist at T&S Abattoir in Arley, Warwickshire last year came to light in February, prompting local residents to call for its closure.

But a spokesperson for the FSA said prior to the footage coming out, "substantial" action had already taken place at the facility - and added the breaches would be referred to the Crown Prosecution Service.

The BBC has contacted T&S Abattoir Ltd, which operates the site, for comment.

Following an investigation, an FSA panel concluded that there had been a failure to prevent serious animal welfare incidents.

The FSA told the BBC it had lacked confidence in the ability of the abattoir to deliver "consistent compliance" in regards to animal welfare.

The FSA said it lacked confidence in the abattoir's ability to deliver "consistent compliance"

The regulator said it could not go into further detail so as not to jeopardise any future legal proceedings, but that it had identified animal welfare failures and had removed certificates of competence from staff where appropriate.

The 21-minute video, posted by activist Joey Carbstrong, apparently showed sheep being transported from a van into a gated area in the abattoir.

T&S bosses previously told the BBC they were "shocked and disgusted" at the footage involving three employees and had "immediately" ended their contracts.

A statement from the FSA said the business had been given notice of the decision, as well as the reasons and their right to appeal.

It said: "We are continuing to work with the police who are carrying out their own investigation, as well as the local authority whose responsibilities include enforcing regulations on any environmental impact and any unapproved activities.

"We have a zero-tolerance approach to animal welfare breaches so we will always take the necessary action to protect high animal welfare standards."