Recent undercover footage revealed that workers in Bowood Lamb slaughterhouse, North Yorkshire, kicked, punched and stood on animals while they were waiting to be killed.

I felt compelled to start this petition after watching a report which showed animals being threatened, beaten and tortured before they were slaughtered. These defenceless animals were made to suffer pain and frightened by people just for fun. This is a terrible way to die and the slaughter workers have no accountability unless they are caught in the act.

Although these workers are the only ones to be caught out so far, this blatant misconduct is taking place in slaughterhouses up and down the country.

Allowing compulsory CCTV in ALL slaughterhouses will greatly reduce the barbaric and unnecessary cruelty inflicted on creatures that give their lives for our food. Some slaughterhouses already use CCTV but most do not.

I am an ordinary man, beyond my two year old dog I have little interest in animals, I am not even a vegetarian. However I fail to see how any individual can stand by and watch such horrific brutality take place.

I have not been able to get the image of this barbaric violence out of my head since I saw the report on the news. I stopped my mid-morning commute to write this appeal to you.

We must take greater responsibility in slaughterhouses and make sure that slaughter workers across the country do not abuse their position of power.

I am asking Elizabeth Truss, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, to take action and make CCTV compulsory in ALL slaughterhouses to act as a deterrent against this barbaric behaviour.