Rabbit meat facility plans rejected in Atlow
A petition against the butchery was signed by over 25,000 people
Last updated 6th Oct 2021
Derbyshire Dales District Council recently rejected plans for a rabbit butchering facility.
After a petition was signed by thousands of people, the council put a stop to plans for the facility due to animal welfare concerns. The owners of T&S Nurseries had also planned to expand their franchise by building additional rabbit farms in Buckinghamshire and Cornwall.
Animal Rights organisation PETA set up the petition because they believed the practise was 'gruesome', with rabbits being slaughtered for into pies, pâté, and other “products."
Margarita Sachkova from PETA explained why they set up the petition. She said:
"They would have butchered thousands of rabbits every year likely before they reached three months of age."
"Rabbits experience fear. They are terrified and a life on these farms is no life at all for them because they are denied of anything that comes natural for them. They need to run, they need to hope, they need to explore and they can't do anything of what truly makes their lives meaningful on these farms."
Wellbeing concern for abattoir workers
There have also been concerns about what the impact would be for people working there, due to the poor conditions damaging mental health. PETA has looked at the issue, and found that many workers struggle with suicidal thoughts, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder. Margarita said:
"We need to think of people who own the franchise and not just workers who work there because they sometimes don't have any other choice."
PETA say not to trust labels promising high welfare
As some people might be surprised to hear they could be eating rabbit meats, the animal rights organisation is also urging the public to consider their food choices, read the ingredients and do independent research about where their food is coming from. Margarita said:
"Don't trust the labels. Don't trust any free range, organic, humane labels. They're made to make customers feel better but do nothing for animal welfare. You just have to watch one minute of an investigation to understand that."