An undercover video shows overcrowding and chickens allegedly being deprived of water at eight farms in Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire.
Animal protection charity Animal Equality released the distressing scenes of the animal suffering on the farms, which they say are all Red Tractor-certified and operated by Moy Park.
The footage was filmed in late 2019 and was then passed on to DEFRA’s Animal and Plant Health Agency, the RSPCA and Red Tractor in early 2020. Moy Park also received the footage in March.
The video claims that the birds are “cruelly deprived of their most basic needs” and hundreds of chickens suffered “agonising deaths each day as workers painfully crush the chickens’ necks in their hands”.
However, Moy Park claimed that “despite the examples highlighted, the overall flocks were displaying natural behaviours and appear in good health.”
The company added that the farms were also investigated by local authorities and regulators, with no major breaches identified.
The undercover footage alleges that “around 30,000 birds are crammed into each bleak shed” and can be seen “gasping for air, their hearts and lungs barely unable to cope with the strain from their enormous bodies”.
It also claims that after sitting for weeks on end on a urine-soaked floor causes some birds to develop “painful, red raw burns and blisters on their sensitive stomachs and feet” and that “water drinkers are routinely raised to heights which are impossible for smaller birds to reach”.
Animal Equality said this is a chicken being killed by hand.
A spokesperson for Moy Park said: “We treat this matter very seriously and upon receipt of this video in March, we immediately initiated an investigation conducted by our team of veterinary experts to ensure compliance with our animal welfare standards.
“A robust assessment of the farms and a review of the footage by an experienced veterinary surgeon specialising in poultry, found that despite the examples highlighted, the overall flocks are displaying natural behaviours and appear in good health in the majority of footage.
“We have implemented measures to ensure the required standards are adhered to on our farms, including refreshed training manuals, and upgraded face-to-face and online training.
“Any breach is completely unacceptable and would result in immediate corrective actions.
“This particular footage is edited with an agenda in mind, and we are confident that it is not reflective of the high standards and certified practices upheld across our wider farming community.”
A chicken described as having feather loss and hock burns. Photo: Animal Equality
A chicken with a severe wound. Photo: Animal Equality
Abigail Penny, Executive Director of Animal Equality UK, said: “These poor chickens never stood a chance. Moy Park’s actions are consistently underpinned by profit; this is a company that spends an eye-watering £700,000 on a CEO salary, yet instructs workers to kill vulnerable chicks at just a few days old, simply because they’re no longer considered profitable. Moy Park’s greed is unrelenting.”
Pile of dead chicks. Photo: Animal Equality
A weak chicken. Photo: Animal Equality
This isn’t the first time Moy Park, who supplies Tesco and Ocado, has found itself in the middle of controversy as thousands of dead chickens were found dumped outside of an intensive poultry farm on the outskirts of Lincoln last summer.
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Drivers in Lincoln will face nearly a fortnight of disruption when electrical works cause a road closure on Skellingthorpe Road from next week (July 11).
Western Power Distribution will install a new electricity connection for a new primary school on Skellingthorpe Road.
The county council has been constructing a new 130-place school on the site of the former Priory Witham Academy Junior School, which will be for St Christopher’s primary-aged pupils.
As a result, Skellingthorpe Road will be closed between Tritton Road and Boultham Park Road between July 11 and July 22.
This is to ensure the safety of engineers and local people while work is taking place.
A diversion will be put in place via Tritton Road, Doddington Road and Newark Road.
Western Power Distribution said: “We apologise for any inconvenience caused while we complete this essential new connection.”
We are investigating a road traffic collision which happened just after 5pm today.
The crash happened on the A15 just south of Waddington and involved a black Peugeot 208 that collided with a tree. The driver of the car, a 56-year-old male, was taken to hospital with serious injuries.
The A15 was closed just before 6pm and is likely to remain closed for some time.
We are particularly keen to hear from those who were driving along the A15 this afternoon between 4pm and 5:10pm and may have captured dashcam footage of the road during the collision.
If you have dashcam footage or any other information that will assist in our enquiries, there are a number of ways you can get in touch.
By calling 101 quoting incident 285 of 4 July.
By emailing [email protected] quoting incident 285 of 4 July in the subject line.
If you wish to remain anonymous, you can report via the independent charity CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111 or online.