Animal rights campaigners are to target a French delicatessen owner who has started selling donkey sausages at a popular British seaside resort.
Protesters claim Mr Dominique Levet's £3.50 sausages should be removed from the shelves of his shop in Sandwich, Kent, due to the "horrific" conditions faced by donkeys transported from Eastern Europe.
Mr Paul Svendsen, deputy chief-executive of the Devon-based Donkey Sanctuary, says the organisation has shocking undercover film footage of donkeys sent from Romania to France and Italy, where donkey meat is common.
Mr Levet says his donkey meat comes from animals reared in France which are slaughtered humanely. But Mr Svendsen said there is no way of telling where donkeys originate from.
He said: "These donkeys are sent from Romania to France and Italy and often spend four days on the move without food or water. Foals are often born on the way but many die or are trampled to death. Conditions are horrific.
"We will be contacting Mr Levet tomorrow and we will be launching a campaign to try and stop him selling donkey meat. Some people say what is the difference between donkey meat and beef?
"But we have a very strong pet culture in this country. Donkeys are seen as pets. People will not tolerate it."
The Donkey Sanctuary last year successfully persuaded the owners of a chain of Italian restaurants in Scotland to drop ravioli made with donkey meat. Mr Svendsen said: "Hopefully we can achieve the same with Mr Levet."
Mr Levet, who was unavailable for comment today, told the Mail on Sundaythat so far none of his customers had complained about the sausages at his shop.
He said: "This is a shop for French produce and this is a French produce. No one has been angry. There is no cruelty."
PA