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Six activists accused of breaking into a pig slaughterhouse to protest against the use of carbon dioxide to kill the animals have been charged with aggravated trespass.
Film-maker Joey Carbstrong, four other men and two women were arrested at the Cranswick Country Foods abattoir in Watton, near Thetford in Norfolk.
The arrests came two days after The Independent revealed secret footage at the slaughterhouse showing a worker hitting pigs as he prepared to put them into gas chambers.
The abattoir supplies supermarkets Tesco, Morrisons, Asda, Sainsbury’s and Aldi, as well as Marks and Spencer.
Mr Carbstrong has made a documentary called Pignorant, which aims to highlight how most pigs are killed in UK abattoirs using the gas, which has been branded excruciatingly cruel.
He said: “These disgusting torture chambers are currently operating all over the UK and the world. This is the horror that is legally allowed to take place, when animals don’t have rights protecting them.”
He added: “The pig industry doesn’t want people to know what is happening to millions of pigs inside UK abattoirs every year.
“The people that should be taken into police custody are the people making vast amounts of money out of animal abuse and suffering.”
Norfolk Police said five men and two women were arrested after officers were called to reports that protesters had gained entry to a food facility in Watton just after 6am on Wednesday. The seven were later charged.
Officers said Joseph Armstrong, 37, of no fixed abode, Karl Baker, 26, of Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Amelia Fishlock, 31, of Cherry Tree Road, Tunbridge Wells, Douglas Maw, 55, of Main Road, Yapton, Arundel, Calvin Tasker, 38, of Melen Street, Redditch, Worcestershire and Jacob Ball, 32, of Kingswinford, West Midlands, were all charged with aggravated trespass and were due to appear at Norwich Magistrates Court on 10 May.
A woman in her twenties was bailed on suspicion of conspiracy to commit aggravated trespass to appear at Wymondham Police Investigation Centre on 2 July.
A Cranswick spokesman said: “Seven individuals have been arrested following an incident of aggravated trespass at the Cranswick site in Watton. The individuals entered the site illegally; the police were informed immediately and arrests were made.”
