Claims calves abused at Shropshire livestock centre

An animal welfare pressure group said it found abuse of calves in an investigation at a livestock centre.

Animal Justice Project said its secret filming at Oaklands Livestock Centre in Shropshire showed the animals being kicked and thrown.

Some of the calves are believed to have come from farms supplying Muller and the firm said it had told its farmers to stop supplying the centre.

The BBC has tried to contact the owner of Oaklands for a response.

Animal Justice Project said the livestock centre collected the calves from farms before taking them to be slaughtered.

It claimed its investigation at the centre in Weston-Under-Redcastle, near Wem, filmed male calves being kicked, pushed and thrown down trailer ramps.

It said the footage was filmed at different times over several days, between November and March, and it saw workers picking up calves by their tails and ears, punching them, and in one case putting a calf in a headlock and throwing him into a barrier.

Founder Claire Palmer described the handling of the animals as "brutal and violent".

"We filmed the calves being thrown so they fell on the ground off of the trailers and trucks, they certainly should be handled with care," she said.

The BBC has tried to contact the Oaklands Livestock Centre several times but has been unable to get a response.

The Daily Mail said it had spoken to the farmer involved who admitted his staff were at fault and he had stopped trading immediately.

Dairy giant Muller told the BBC it expected bull calves sold by its farmers to be handled according to welfare standards "fully compliant with guidelines and best practice".

It added: "In light of this evidence of mistreatment, we are therefore instructing farmers to cease supplying Oaklands with immediate effect."

Muller sells milk to Sainsbury's and the supermarket told the BBC it had processes to "prevent these unacceptable practices" and was urgently investigating.

The footage has been described as "very distressing" by the RSPCA which said it had contacted the Animal Plant and Health Agency (APHA) and urged it to investigate.

The APHA, an executive agency of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, told the BBC it was aware of the concerns and would investigate all allegations.

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