Statement on Bowood Slaughterhouse Trial

Lord Justice Hickinbottom and Mr Justice Kerr ruled on 27 April at the High Court in Leeds that the defendants in the Bowood slaughterhouse case, which relates to an investigation by Animal Aid, should be tried. In doing so, the court found in favour of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) and overturned a previous finding that the case had run out of time. It is expected that the case will now be listed for trial at Magistrates Court.

Says Luke Steele, Farming and Slaughter Campaigns Manager, Animal Aid:

“Animal Aid today welcomes the decision by Lord Justice Hickinbottom and Mr Justice Kerr to overturn the out of time finding in the Bowood slaughterhouse case. We hope that justice can now be done.”

“However, it is important to remember that had there been independently-monitored CCTV installed at Bowood, then those who inflicted deliberate cruelty on animals may well have been detected earlier or deterred. We today reiterate our call for the government to bring forward a change in the law to this effect.”