Violence inside Staffordshire butchers' slaughterhouse captured on video

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WARNING: GRAPHIC CONTENT
Harrowing clip of animals tormented in final hours at Staffordshire abattoir
In one scene worker stamps on a frantic sheep which should be stunned
Another distressing video sees three men squashing live pig against a wall
Desperate animal is seen staggering around after being incorrectly shot
The shocking footage has prompted an investigation from the RSPCA
And the abattoir boss admits he expects to have his licence suspended

By Jim Norton for the Daily Mail and Jack Crone for MailOnline

Published: 07:33 EST, 8 February 2015 | Updated: 20:36 EST, 8 February 2015

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Kicked, punched, and hurled against a blood-soaked wall, animals shriek and writhe in agony as they await their slaughter.

Cows are seen hanging by one leg still mooing even after their throats are cut, while a pig is repeatedly struck by a metal gate after being shot incorrectly by a bolt gun.

The undercover footage exposes the practice at a 112-year-old family butcher's abattoir in Staffordshire.

Scroll down for video

'Barbaric': A worker at S Bagshaw and Sons butchers in Staffordshire is seen stamping on a sheep as it struggles for dear life on the blood-stained ground after apparently being stunned

It comes days after similar evidence emerged of cruel treatment at a halal slaughterhouse in Thirsk, North Yorkshire.

The latest footage was captured by animal welfare campaigners over a six-month period at S. Bagshaw and Sons butchers near Leek.

Several scenes show pigs, cows, and sheep being kicked, thrown around and strung up – many appearing not to have been adequately stunned.

Under guidelines, it is an offence 'to cause or permit avoidable pain, excitement, or suffering to any animal'.

Anyone who is found guilty of cruelty to animals can face a fine of up to £20,000 or a jail term.

In one clip, an employee attempts to pick up a wriggling sheep and slam it back-first against the blood-saturated ground before stepping on its neck.

He eventually manages to haul the terrified animal up by its leg as it continues to struggle for its life – looking far too energetic to have been recently stunned.

Another shows three workers repeatedly kick a pig before slamming it against the wall and squashing it with a metal gate, having already attempted to kill it with a bolt gun.

WARNING: Hidden cameras reveal horrific treatment of animals

Thrown around: The abattoir worker picks up the sheep and slams it on to its back on the blood-soaked ground before stamping on it

The animal staggers around a pen before two of the men use all their weight to pin it to the wall while one takes another shot, finally ending the pig's torture.

Other scenes show cows continuing to moo and writhe around as they are hung up by one leg – even after their throats have been cut.

An investigator from Hillside Animal Sanctuary in Norwich, which carried out the probe, said: 'We received a tip-off saying that things weren't right at this slaughterhouse so decided to start setting up hidden cameras last August.

'The way the pigs and sheep were treated was really barbaric. The way they were getting kicked like that was monstrous and shows absolutely no respect for the animals.'

Last week, a halal abattoir worker was sacked and three others suspended after being filmed breaking strict rules on sheep slaughter.

Investigation: Animal welfare campaigners set up hidden cameras at the 112-year-old S Bagshaw and Sons butchers in Butterton, Staffordshire after receiving a tip-off

Cruel: Three men were secretly filmed slamming a metal gate against a black pig which they had already shot with a bolt gun

Torment: The men use all their weight to squash the animal against the wall while still alive and struggling

Slaughtermen at the Bowood Lamb abattoir were recorded by animal welfare campaigners 'hacking and sawing' at animals' throats in apparent contravention of Islamic practice.

The RSPCA slammed the 'shocking' footage amid renewed calls to ban halal slaughter, which is opposed by the British Veterinary Association.

The RSPCA has now launched a probe into the most recent footage at S. Bagshaw and Sons after being handed the footage.

Abattoir manager Antony Bagshaw told The Sunday Mirror he was in the wrong and expected to have his licence suspended.

The Hillside investigator said: 'The men seemed to be deriving great pleasure from killing the pig. We have some of the best animal welfare laws in the world in this country but they are hardly ever upheld. The authorities need to do more.'

Aware of surroundings: Animal welfare officers believe this cow showed signs that it was not properly stunned as it reacted to what was happening around it even after having its throat cut

Distressing: The investigators set up hidden camera after getting a tip-off that animals were being mistreated in the Staffordshire butcher's abattoir

SHOCKING FOOTAGE OF WORKERS 'HACKING AND SAWING' AT ANIMALS' THROATS IN HALAL SLAUGHTERHOUSE IN YORKSHIRE

Shocking undercover footage of workers 'hacking and sawing' at animals' throats caused outrage last week.

The secret filming by Animal Aid took place in December at the Bowood Lamb abattoir near Thirsk, North Yorkshire, where sheep did not appear to be killed according to Islamic law.

One worker has been sacked and three others suspended pending a Food Standards Agency investigation that could lead to prosecutions.

Campaigners are now calling for CCTV cameras to be installed in all abattoirs to prevent similar cruelty

Slaughterhouse horror - sheep have throats cut without stunning

The controversy has fuelled concerns that similar abuse could be going on across the country.

All abattoirs must be approved by the FSA, but the regulatory body does not check whether halal meat is prepared according to religious rules. Many certify themselves as adhering to halal standards or are accredited by unofficial halal organisations.

Halal rules state that animals must be killed with a single sweep of a surgically-sharp knife through the jugular vein, carotid artery and windpipe while a Muslim recites a prayer. They should not see the knife or witness the death of other animals.

But the Animal Aid video shows many of these practices being flouted. Its secretly installed spy cameras showed staff laughing as a sheep bled to death after a worker allegedly drew spectacles around its eyes in green paint.

They were filmed taunting animals, waving knives in front of them, smacking them on the head and shouting at them.

The law requires abattoirs to stun animals before slaughter to prevent unnecessary suffering, but there are exemptions for Jewish and Muslim producers. Pictured: A worker throws an animal onto the conveyors