Vigil held in Shrewsbury to 'say goodbye' to animals heading to slaughter

Five members of Shropshire & Worcestershire Animal Save held a vigil outside the ABP abattoir in Harlescott, Shrewsbury, filming the animals heading to slaughter.

The vigil on Monday, October 23, was to raise awareness of the industry and the animals going to slaughter and to "be their voice" by filming, taking pictures and sharing these online.

Jo Reff, a member of the vigil group, said: "It's about raising awareness and showing the world what's happening so that people can make their own choices.

"It was created by Animal Save, but we now do it all over the country - it's a completely peaceful way of having a chance to say goodbye."

This particular vigil saw trailers loaded with cows, but Jo said the vigils apply to all animals who are taken to slaughter including hens, pigs and sheep.

"Many people, when they know the truth and when they see that they are sentient beings, do go vegan as a result because they feel pain just as we do," Jo added.

Jo said she went vegan around 2008 after first deciding to use cruelty-free makeup products.

"

Back then I didn't know any vegans but it's massively growing and it's amazing. You go into cafes and there's alternative options to everything and it's so easy now."

Jo went on to say that the national Animal Save Movement often works with the abattoirs and farmers so that the vigils can take place.

She added: "A lot of abattoirs, they do work with us, and they know it's a completely peaceful protest and there's no aggression, we just want that chance to say goodbye.

"And we don't want to direct anger at farmers because it's making them aware that there's lots of ways that they can do plant-based farming and looking at ways to help them with that."

The vigils take place across Shropshire and the West Midlands around once a month.

Animal Save Movement’s mission is to spread the idea that every person has a "moral duty to bear witness, end animal agriculture and reforest the Earth".