The report highlighted human abuse within animal agriculture

Victims of modern slavery in Northern Ireland are most commonly working in the Poultry and Egg sector, according to a new report into labour exploitation and slavery in the UK.

The annual report, from non-departmental public body the Gangmasters and Labour Abuse Authority [GLAA], aims to highlight the scale of slavery throughout the UK, as well as depict who is being exploited and how, and what sectors the victims are working in.

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It has been compiled by drawing on wide body of work with both victims and offenders, as well as inspections at a huge number of workplaces.

Exploitation

The report, titled The Nature and Scale of Labour Exploitation Across All Sectors Within The United Kingdom, suggests that people from Bulgaria, Romania and Lithuania are most frequently exploited in Northern Ireland.

GLAA intelligence for Northern Ireland shows that, where known, potential victims are most frequently recorded as working in the Poultry and Eggs sector.

GLAA intelligence for Wales shows that, where known, potential victims are most frequently recorded as working in the shellfish gathering sector. Indeed, analysis of the data shows that for the UK overall, most intelligence relates to the agriculture sector.

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'Close to home'

According to the report: "The prevalence of labour exploitation is difficult to accurately measure. However, an increasing number of suspected cases are being reported."

Roger Bannister, interim Chief Executive at the GLAA, said: "The sad reality is that the criminality that drives exploitation and slavery is quite close to home in the towns, cities and countryside in which we live and work.

"I welcome the report findings and I am proud to help lead an organisation delivering some impressive results."