Campaigners spent hours in peaceful protest outside a Norfolk factory to comfort animals on their way to slaughter.

Eastern Daily Press: Norfolk Animal Save members bear witness by connecting with the pigs in the truck at Cranswick Country Foods in Watton, by talking to them, touching the truck, and photographing them. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYNorfolk Animal Save members bear witness by connecting with the pigs in the truck at Cranswick Country Foods in Watton, by talking to them, touching the truck, and photographing them. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2017)

Members of the Norfolk Animal Save movement held their first protest outside the Cranswick Country Foods plant in Watton on Wednesday.

Around 40 people were present to 'bear witness' to four trucks of animals arriving at the abattoir, taking photographs and speaking words of comfort.

Tom Fenner of Norfolk Animal Save said: 'Things have gone pretty well. Cranswick has been very amicable, it has kept to its side of the agreement and stopped the trucks for us so we have been able to bear witness very effectively.

'I hope in future they will allow more trucks through on the mornings we are here.'

Eastern Daily Press: Norfolk Animal Save members bear witness by connecting with the pigs in the truck at Cranswick Country Foods in Watton, by talking to them, touching the truck, and photographing them. Picture: DENISE BRADLEYNorfolk Animal Save members bear witness by connecting with the pigs in the truck at Cranswick Country Foods in Watton, by talking to them, touching the truck, and photographing them. Picture: DENISE BRADLEY (Image: Copyright: Archant 2017)

Among the campaigners were James Green and Emily Alaniz, from Norwich.

Mr Green said: 'We have had people from far and wide come to give us a united front. It shows how important this is. It is an important act.'

Another campaigner, who did not want to be named, said: 'It is very easy nowadays to be disconnected when you see meat in the supermarkets. That is why it is important and why there are people like us here, because if we do not show people they are never going to know.'

After making an arrangement with Cranswick and Norfolk police, the campaigners were allowed to spend five minutes with each truck before the animals were taken inside and greeted four vehicles during their five-hour protest.

Animal rights campaigners had come from as far away as Bradford to take part in the protest, which organisers hope will be first of many outside the plant.

Other Save movement protests in East Anglia have attracted between 37 and 60 campaigners.

The group is planning to take part in an all-day vigil at two abattoirs in Suffolk on Monday, January 30.

For more information see the Norfolk Animal Save Facebook page.