ANIMAL rights campaigners are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to make a decision on plans to expand a slaughterhouse where up to 3,000 pigs a day are killed.
Pilgrim’s Pride applied to the council for planning permission to build new facilities at its Pilgrim’s Europe abattoir at Oakley Green Farm, Westerleigh, north of Lyde Green, in October last year.
The consultation period over the plans closed in June, but the council has not yet said whether the application will be decided by a committee or officers, or when it might make a decision.
More than 4,100 objections have been made to the plans: many have been from people raising animal welfare concerns but nearby residents have also written to object in large numbers, with one writing that the “pervasive smell” from the slaughterhouse “frequently engulfs the whole village and its surroundings”, earning Westerleigh the nickname ‘The Smelly Village’.
Residents have also raised concerns about effluent leakages into the ground and local waterways.
There have been 55 comments in support of the expansion, which the company says will “upgrade and expand” the livestock processing facility so that it can slaughter 25,000 pigs per week.
It says: “The proposals aim to improve operational efficiency, enhance environmental performance, and provide modern infrastructure in support of the site’s existing lawful use.”
In September, more than 70 activists held a vigil outside the slaughterhouse, organised by Animal Save Movement through Bristol Pig Save.
Representatives from Animal Justice Project, Animal Aid, Viva!, the Vegan Society, VegfestUK and Bristol Animal Rights Collective also attended.
Organiser Andrew Garner said: “We are calling for an end to the killing.
“If these were dogs being sent into gas chambers, there would be public outrage. Pigs feel fear and pain too, yet because they are farmed for food, society has been conditioned to look the other way.
“We are calling on South Gloucestershire Council to do the right thing and reject this expansion. Councillors now have a choice.
“They can reject plans to expand this slaughterhouse, or approve an expansion that will further entrench the killing of pigs at this site.
“We urge them to reject it and not have the blood of these animals on their hands. Stopping the expansion is only the first step.
“Ultimately, we want to see these gates close for good and slaughterhouses consigned to history.”
The Voice has asked the council whether the application is going to be decided on by council officers or a planning committee and if so, when the committee is likely to meet.