# CCTV in Slaughterhouses - A huge cheer for Morrisons



## canteron (28 October 2011)

There was a thread on here recently about some poor pigs being treated exceptionally cruelly by abbotoir workers - and how if you were a sadistic person this was a good place to enjoy your sport (!).  There was a subsequent call for CCTV in abbottoirs.  

Well Morrisons have decided to do it.  A huge cheer for Morrisons.  Not only do they champion British Food, but they have ethics to boot.

http://www.fwi.co.uk/Articles/19/11/2010/124458/Supermarket-installs-CCTV-in-abattoirs.htm


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## cptrayes (28 October 2011)

Fantastic. I only buy British reared meat but now I will only buy Morrison's until the others do the same. Well done Morrisons!


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## Ladybird (28 October 2011)

Brilliant

I shop at morrisons probably 50% of the time, will definitely make more effort to make that 100% now!


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## Chestnuttymare (28 October 2011)

Morrisons are still stocking battery eggs and chickens.


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## smiffyimp (28 October 2011)

chestnuttymare said:



			Morrisons are still stocking battery eggs and chickens.
		
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Very true, but they are also the only big supermarket making free range easily accessible and affordable


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## MadBlackLab (28 October 2011)

I dont eat meat but well done Morrisons for setting a high standard for the rest of the UK's supermarkets. Keep setting these high standards


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## marmalade76 (28 October 2011)

We only but meat off farm or from Morrisons (it's only round the corner!) so good to know!


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## misswitch2 (28 October 2011)

it's a shame that abbatoir workers cannot just treat animals with respect and dignity, but need watching like hawks to make sure they do what is right by the animals.


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## Alec Swan (31 October 2011)

Our local Morrisons have a sign outside which states that all the beef,  lamb and pork which they sell is fresh and from British farms.  Their freezers contain frozen New Zealand lamb.  The bulk of their bacon is from Denmark,  so I suppose that they'd argue that pork and bacon aren't the same thing.

Being a natural cynic,  and believing that they have their own interpretation of their claims,  I don't believe them.  All supermarkets have their supply chains,  and they buy through wholesalers.  Tracing would be virtually impossible.  

When we buy what we believe to be British beef,  that includes beef from Northern Ireland.  Much of it has come from over the border,  and before that,  it arrived from Argentina. 

Sorry,  but I don't believe them.

Alec.


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## Amymay (31 October 2011)

When we buy what we believe to be British beef, that includes beef from Northern Ireland. Much of it has come from over the border, and before that, it arrived from Argentina
		
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Which is why I only ever buy Welsh meat.


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## Archangel (31 October 2011)

Well done Morrisons.  I will shop there for my meat in future.

I do not thing sadistic people end up working in abbatoirs by accident


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## Maesfen (31 October 2011)

Support your local butchers and know exactly which farm your meat came from.


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## Alec Swan (31 October 2011)

Maesfen said:



			Support your local butchers and know exactly which farm your meat came from.
		
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A very good point.  Mostly our local butchers will buy in from their local abattoir,  the animals go in live,  and their history is known.  It seems to be better quality,  too. 

Alec.


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## luckilotti (31 October 2011)

sadly all of our local butchers are no longer around   the last one that i know of (that had fantastic stuff, had been there donkeys years etc) went last year    i was totally shocked when i went to buy something and it was all shut up.  

I have to say, i am skeptical and maybe they are just telling customers what they want to hear??   especially when you read the post about 'british lamb' yet they have lamb from NZ... and the battery eggs - makes my blood boil! (hence i have ex battery hens in the garden as i type!)


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## Magicmillbrook (31 October 2011)

Alec Swan said:



			Our local Morrisons have a sign outside which states that all the beef,  lamb and pork which they sell is fresh and from British farms.  Their freezers contain frozen New Zealand lamb.  The bulk of their bacon is from Denmark,  so I suppose that they'd argue that pork and bacon aren't the same thing.

Being a natural cynic,  and believing that they have their own interpretation of their claims,  I don't believe them.  All supermarkets have their supply chains,  and they buy through wholesalers.  Tracing would be virtually impossible.  

When we buy what we believe to be British beef,  that includes beef from Northern Ireland.  Much of it has come from over the border,  and before that,  it arrived from Argentina. 

Sorry,  but I don't believe them.

Alec.
		
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I think you will find Morrisons advertise that all their fresh meat is british.

At least you can get british bacon at Morrisons, Tescos only british bacon is the finest dry cured.  

I am also a butchers shop advocate.  My local butchers uses the abbatoir a few miles up the road from me.  I did my meat inspection training there and would have total confidence in their practices.  yes we would have a bit of a laugh - usualy at the students expence, but never to the detriment of the animals.  Stressed meat does not taste nice or keep well so its in the supermarkets interests to have high standards.


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## Hairy Old Cob (31 October 2011)

In 2001 after the last major Foot and mouth Epidemic I was involved with the ARC Addington Trust who organised a Large Dinner at the Stoneleigh Agricultural Centre to raise money for Farmers Suffering Hardship "Morrisons" Wouldnt Donate anything at all I have no respect or belief in them only to further their own ends a typical supermarket.

SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL BUTCHER


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## muff747 (31 October 2011)

Is the abbatoir owned by Morrisons?  How would they have the authority to put CCTV in there?  Just wondering??


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## Alec Swan (31 October 2011)

Magicmillbrook said:



			I think you will find Morrisons advertise that all their fresh meat is british........
		
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I'll check tomorrow!

Alec.


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## Alec Swan (31 October 2011)

muff747 said:



			Is the abbatoir owned by Morrisons?  How would they have the authority to put CCTV in there?  Just wondering??

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Supermarkets have massive buying power,  and if they were to tell an abattoir to install cameras,  then they'd do so,  or have no customer. 

Supermarkets are also responsible,  because of cartel like practices,  for bringing the dairy industry,  in this country,  to its knees.  Dairy Farmers are going out of business daily,  here in the UK,  and they aren't being replaced. 

Forget the promotional rubbish which these people put out,  it's garbage.  It isn't just Morrisons,  name any of the large chains,  their as bad as each other.  

Milk is sold at a loss,  as is sugar.  Now I wonder why? 

Alec.


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## sprite1978 (1 November 2011)

muff747 said:



			Is the abbatoir owned by Morrisons?  How would they have the authority to put CCTV in there?  Just wondering??

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Morrisons do own their own abbatoirs..


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## applecart14 (1 November 2011)

That's excellent news, about time.

Although I do think its very sad that we should have to do have CCTV in the first place, there are obviously some very sick individuals which are in the minority thank goodness.


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## mon (1 November 2011)

As far as traceability goes every sheep has a ear tag with a flock number at least and some a electronic micro chip in them, cattle ear tag and passport so farmers have to identify stock needs clarification on label so shows country of rearing, slaughter and packing, pro dick of uk means little.


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## Alec Swan (3 November 2011)

mon said:



			As far as traceability goes.......
		
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As far as traceability goes,  EID tagging has achieved absolutely nothing.  More so for sheep,  but also for cattle,  by species,  they tend to become mixed whilst in lairage,  and once the head has been removed,  there is no way of identifying one animal from another.

Cattle are generally quartered,  and both for and hind quarters will travel all so often into different areas,  of the chillers,  and the _Traceability_ aspect of tagging will be completely negated.  It's all been a complete waist of time.

sprite1978,  I stand corrected,  Morrisons do in fact have their own killing facilities,  but I still view any marketing claims,  and from any Supermarket with deep suspicion.

Alec.


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## mon (3 November 2011)

So why are we made to waste our money on ear tags? No farmers puts them in for pleasure.


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## Archina (3 November 2011)

Thats awesome!


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## martlin (3 November 2011)

mon said:



			So why are we made to waste our money on ear tags? No farmers puts them in for pleasure.
		
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That's a damn good question, and to be honest, I haven't a clue! Seeing that the first thing that comes off a sheep is the head... with the tags...


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## measles (5 November 2011)

Thanks for bringing that to my attention.   I will give Morrisons much more of my business now.


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## quirky (5 November 2011)

Our local Morrison's is quite the filthiest shop I have seen.
If it's like that front of shop, I dread to think what the bits the public don't see are like.

I won't shop there!!

I buy all my meat from the shop local to me which has signs on each saying which farm they came from. It is more expensive than the supermarkets but the product is far superior in taste .


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## Alec Swan (5 November 2011)

mon said:



			So....... No farmers puts them in for pleasure.
		
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The _thinking_ behind it,  so we're told,  is that any meat which is eaten here in the UK,  or exported,  can be traced from the farm to the plate.  Patently,  it can't.

The answer to the question of _"why are we made to waste our money on ear tags?" _isn't clear.  Many of the daft and pointless EU directives which are handed down,  are formulated by those on the Continent who have no understanding of agriculture,  and appear to have little concern for the affects of the pointless conditions which are being piled on to us.

Don't go away,  just yet,  it gets better!!  

The reading systems for the EID tags which we now install,  don't work too well.  The best readers are static,  and are installed in markets.  A percentage of the tags fail to register,  which makes the movement of the animal concerned illegal.  The animal is still moved,  without prosecution.  So the authorities are well aware of the flaws in the system,  but fail to realise that there is little which they can do to prevent the breaking of these laws.  Lunacy?  What do you think? 

If I wish to move sheep from one holding to another,  then I have to register the movement of those sheep _and_ their EID numbers.  If I were to buy a hand held scanner,  or reader,  and when I get home,  transfer all the numbers on to a computer,  so that I can notify TS of the movement,  and it fails to operate,  then what?  Or perhaps I'm supposed to stand in the rain and take a note of every single tag number,  manually,  and transfer it to a separate sheet when I get home.  More lunacy!!

If the tagging of sheep contributed in any way to food security,  or to bio security,  I'd see the point of it all.  It doesn't,  so I don't.

The cynic in me would suggest that there are officials in Brussels,  or wherever,  who are employed to make daft,  pointless and unworkable rules,  simply to justify their own existence.

I apologise for the tirade,  but I suspect that there are those who are intent on putting me out of business!! 

A.


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## mon (5 November 2011)

We have bought a scanner at great expense , when I get round to it double tag breeding sheep so they can make a mess ripping them out and god forbid us if have a rpa check, not one farmer would pass 100 per cent no recording system works horse cattle sheep or some human.


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## MiCsarah (6 November 2011)

My butchers slaughter the animals on site. my uncle used to be the slaughter man so I know they are done correctly


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## Luci07 (8 November 2011)

Ahh... yet again, I think I am well informed and this thread shows me how little I really know. I do buy my meat from my local butchers - it  isn't much more expensive than the local supermarket and actually - they will frenquently suggest a cheaper cut of meat for a specific dish as their meat is of a higher quality. Meat is produced and slaughtered locally. The butchers, which is on its own on a through road in my village has a fantastic reputation and is always busy. I also buy my eggs from my local shops too and they are cheaper (oddly). 

Always avoided Morrisons ever since I went to shop there and was greeted by the sight of a very very fat hairy sweaty man, just wearing a vest (on top) walking out of the store with a full shopping bag. Got back in the car, drove on and have never gone back since!


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## canteron (8 November 2011)

I think that local butchers are the best - especially if you know their ethical values.  Mine is more expensive, but I just eat less meat and buy better quality.  Probably healthier and cheaper in the long run.

But at least Morrissons are acknowledging that animal welfare at the point of slaughter is an issue, so that has to be a huge step forward.  Tesco's - are far as I can tell they don't give a **** - I never buy anything at Tesco's unless there really is no option.  

So well done Morrissons, at least its going in the right direction.


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## chestnut cob (8 November 2011)

I'm in the "buy it from your local butcher" camp.  The butcher we use can tell you where every piece of meat in his shop is from - the first thing I asked when I first walked in was where the meat was from.  He uses local meat, can tell you exactly which farm and how it was reared, and says none of his meat comes from more than 20 miles away.  So not only is it ethical, it's also more environmentally friendly than buying supermarket meat which has been shipped twice around the UK first... assuming it's even from the UK!


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