Farmers in the Midlands have been left devastated after a spate of illegal butchering, with sheep and lambs killed and stripped of their meat in fields. Julie Steele, who hand-reared her pet sheep from lambs, discovered her flock had been butchered overnight near Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire. All that remained were fleeces, heads, legs and organs. 'It was awful; we had to gather their body parts up into a bag,' she said. 'We were devastated.'
Kate Morse, a farmer from Clipston, Leicestershire, found nine of her lambs butchered on 17 July. She discovered hooks hanging in a tree and remains tossed over a hedge. The animals are believed to have been hanged, gutted and skinned. Farmers suspect the killers are professional butchers. 'They were skilled - they were obviously either butchers or worked in an abattoir,' said Ms Steele.
The National Farmers' Union (NFU) believes an organised criminal gang is behind the 'incredibly worrying' increase. Since the start of 2019, at least 259 sheep have been killed in Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire. Northamptonshire Police reported 75 sheep illegally butchered in the six months to July, with further cases since. Leicestershire had five reports involving 60 sheep, and Warwickshire reported 113 sheep butchered and 74 stolen.
The NFU suspects the meat is being sold illegally to restaurants and shops. James Peck of the NFU said the crimes were unprecedented and carried out by a gang 'who appear to have an operation with an outlet' to sell the meat. He warned of a 'real risk to human health' from eating meat not processed in a licensed abattoir. The Food Standards Agency advised: 'If you've purchased or been offered this meat do not eat it.'
