VIOLENCE IN SLAUGHTERHOUSES

Early day motion 223, tabled 20 January 1999 by Lord Campbell-Savours (Labour). Signed by 34 members.

That this House calls for the CPS to justify its utterly irresponsible decision not to prosecute five employees of Rose County Foods of Sawley, Clitheroe, for assault on a Meat Hygiene Service official; believes that the cautioning by the police of the five employees is a totally inadequate response to such a major breach of the criminal law; notes that an MHS official carrying out work of meat inspection under legal requirements introduced by Parliament, having been intimidated and threatened on Rose County Foods' premises, escaped through a window to avoid physical attack; notes that the official was then followed to a local cafe, kidnapped, bundled into the back of a car, brought back to the plant and then thrown into a vat of specified risk material; notes that this potentially carcinogenic waste meat product in the vat could include head, spinal cord, tonsil, spleen, thymus and intestine material; and believes that the Director of Public Prosecutions should, in the extraordinary circumstances of this case, make it known why his officials failed to prosecute for offences which have been the subject of repeated stricture by Ministers and endless debate in Parliament.

Signatures by party: Labour 28, Liberal Democrat 5, Labour/Co-operative 1.