A donkey has been brought into a supermarket in a bizarre protest against a compulsory new plastic carrier bag charge.
The incident was caught on the CCTV security cameras of the supermarket in the province of Nigde in south-central Turkey.
The footage shows the confused-looking donkey standing in the middle of an aisle while its owner loads its pannier bags with shopping.
The incident landed the supermarket in hot water for allowing an animal into the store in breach of food hygiene and animal welfare legislation and the management were fined 4,545 TRY (653 GBP).
New government legislation in Turkey – just like that introduced in the UK in October 2015 – means supermarkets must now charge shoppers for carrier bags.
In Britain, it has had a huge impact, encouraging people to bring their own bags on shopping trips and reducing the number of new carriers issued by nearly 90 per cent.
In another incident, Arif Arifoglu, 37, was filmed taking a wheelbarrow into a supermarket with him in the eastern province of Erzurum, while a woman was caught on camera sewing up tatty old plastic bags to use again.
Turkey’s new law – introduced on 1st January – means that supermarkets must charge customers 0.25 TRY (0.04 GBP) for each carrier bag they are issued.
Any stores found giving customers free bags will face a fine of 10 TRY (1.45 GBP) for each square metre of their property under the new legislation.
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Story By: Sibel Abdiu, Sub-Editor: Michael Leidig, Agency: Central European News
