WARRANTS have been issued for the arrest of two directors of a Blackburn company involved in the slaughter of animals.

Blackburn magistrates issued the warrants at the request of the Meat and Livestock Commission.

The commission said that Ghaffar Ahmed and Abdul Jabber, both of Adelaide Terrace, Blackburn, had failed to register and pay the required levy, estimated at £82,000, since they established M J G Halal Slaughtering Ltd.

The company is registered at Adelaide Terrace but operates from premises in Bradford..

Both men also appeared on the court list at Blackburn magistrates in respect of a prosecution being brought by the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

They are both accused of failing to comply with a requirement of the Welfare of Animals (Slaughter or Killing) Regulations and it is also alleged that Jabber failed to ensure that an animal was bled without delay after it had been stunned.

The DEFRA cases were adjourned until November 25.