Abattoir fined nearly £7k for letting sheep get 'severely dehydrated' before they're slaughtered

An abattoir has been fined almost £7,000 for breaching EU regulations about the welfare of animals before they’re killed after leaving a number of sheep “severely dehydrated” due to lack of drinking water.

A hearing at Stockport Magistrates Court heard Manchester Abattoir Limited had caused injury and severe dehydration to sheep waiting to be slaughtered on two occasions in May 2021. The Stockport-based firm had put 54 sheep into a pen designed to hold 40, causing injury to four sheep who needed an “emergency slaughter” after their injuries were discovered on May 11, 2021.

A few days later, on May 16, a drinking trough in a pen holding 78 sheep was discovered to be empty. Staff were unable to tell how long the sheep had been without water.

READ MORE: 'Aggressive, dangerous' woman banned from Jet2 for life after causing chaos on Manchester flight

The case, brought by CPS prosecutor David Holland on behalf of the Food Standards Agency, was based on the evidence of the firm’s vet, who was present during both incidents to assess the animals, and claimed the sheep were acting in a way consistent with “severe dehydration”, crowding around the trough and standing on top of each other to reach the fresh water when the drinking supply was restored. Mr Holland told the court: “There are two types of offending here, one is the overstocking of pens resulting in discomfort and injury to some of the animals and the other is a failure to provide water.”

However, Nathan Goldstein, defending, told the court that it was unlikely the sheep had been without water for very long as one of the members of staff would have noticed the empty trough. He told the court that both of the events were a “one-off incident that arose due to unusual