abattoir

Place where animals are killed for food. Abattoir was originally the name of the public slaughterhouse established in Paris by a decree of Napoleon in 1818. An abattoir was first established in Britain in Edinburgh in 1851. In 1997, there were 488 abattoirs in the UK.

More than 700 million birds and 35 million pigs, cattle and sheep are killed each year in UK abattoirs. Various methods are used to stun animals prior to death, including electric shocks and gas chambers. The industry is a major employer. In 1994 more than 110,000 people were directly involved. Despite the BSE crisis, in 1997 the industry was still employing almost 100,000 people.