Photo: James Bannister
For most farmers, taking animals to the abattoir is part of their working life. But Sinvalingam Vasanthakumar–who is known as Kumar–never felt that way. Driving his animals to the slaughterhouse was always uncomfortable. "I worked in farming for 30 to 40 years and have taken so many animals to slaughter, but every time I would question whether it was right. When I’d back the trailer into the slaughterhouse, the animals didn’t want to go," he said. Eventually, the guilt became too much, and in 2020, instead of taking 20 lambs to the abattoir, Kumar decided to drive them to an animal sanctuary in Worcestershire, UK. "It was a good decision. I couldn’t handle it anymore. I wanted to let them live," he said. Kumar now focuses on selling south Indian food, but is plotting a return to farming. He’s in the process of buying a smallholding in Somerset through the Ecological Land Cooperative, which works to provide affordable land for sustainable businesses in England and Wales.
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