Abattoirs (also known as slaughterhouses) in the UK have tended
to be somewhat secretive about their activities, mainly due to
fear of animal rights campaigners. Also, the general public are
generally squeamish about meat production. The number of animals
killed for food in UK abattoirs per year is approximately: *
800,000,000 broiler chickens * 35,000,000 turkeys * 19,000,000
sheep * 18,000,000 ducks * 17,000,000 pigs * 2,500,000 cattle *
1,000,000 geese * 10,000 deer * 10,000 goats In the late 1990s,
many small and medium-sized abattoirs closed down, due to
increased regulations and high inspection charges. This meant
many animals had a longer journey to be slaughtered. The effect
of this was to increase the risks of diseases such as foot and
mouth from spreading around the country , and also to make the
sight of lorries transporing animals to slaughter a common
occurrence on British roads. According to the Ministry of
Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MAFF), there were 13,000
slaughterhouses in Great Britai