A SLAUGHTERHOUSE has been up before the magistrates after a bull was shot in the head twice using a gun with the wrong cartridge.

Director Alan George Griffiths, on behalf of business AH Griffiths Ltd of High Street, Leintwardine, entered guilty pleas to three charges before magistrates in Kidderminster in November.

They are one count of contravening the provision of an EU regulation relating to pain, distress, and suffering at the time of killing an animal, one count of contravening the provision of an EU regulation at the time of killing and animal, and one count of failing to ensure an instrument, equipment or installation at a slaughterhouse facilitated rapid, effective stunning or killing.

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The court heard from the prosecutor that the business had caused or permitted a person to shoot a bull in the head twice with a captive bolt gun using cartridges that were not strong enough to stun the animal in Shropshire on February 23, 2022.

It had failed to ensure that the captive bolt gun and cartridges were of the appropriate strength to stun or kill the animal rapidly and effectively, and had failed to follow regulations relating to standard operating procedures in that the appropriate strength of cartridge was not used and the back-up gun was not used after the initial shot failed to stun the animal on the same date.

The case was adjourned to December 7 for a sentencing date to be fixed.