A vegan food brand has released shocking footage of dead animals, faeces and apparent overcrowding at a chicken farm which the activists claim rears birds for Moy Park, a supplier to KFC.
VFC, a vegan food brand based in the UK, visited a chicken farm which they say is in Lincolnshire, recording footage of the welfare of the birds inside.
The video has been uploaded to VFC’s YouTube channel and currently has more than 28,000 views on the platform, with the living conditions of the farm showcased throughout.
Huge numbers of chickens inside one of the farm’s outbuildings. | Photo: VFC
Dead birds were found littered on the floor, plus two bodies abandoned in a wheelbarrow inside a shed, there appear to be many sick or injured birds, and the ‘dead bins’ outside the unit were so full of animals that limbs were protruding from the top.
Bins outside for chicken carcasses were overflowing with limbs sticking out. | Photo: VFC
Footage appears to show just one small swing for 52,000 birds – which would work out at each bird being given one second of swing use each per lifetime.
The video came in response to a KFC promotional video about the improved welfare and conditions of its birds at farms across the country, as the major fast food chain teamed up with Joe.co.uk and social media influencer Niko Omilana for a Behind the Bucket short documentary at one particular supplier.
The Lincolnite cannot verify if the two videos were taken at the same farm, as claimed by VFC, which says it is somewhere in Lincolnshire.
VFC co-founder Matthew Glover, who visited the farm and conducted the video, said: “This is the most disingenuous marketing campaign we have seen for a long time. This portrayal of chicken farming is utterly misleading and seeks to reassure the public that all is well, when nothing could be further from the truth.
“People have a right to know how filthy and crowded these farms are; how birds suffer and die right there in the sheds; and that the bins overflow with the carcasses of the poor animals who could not survive even a few weeks in such conditions.
“We were not surprised to find that things were this bad because this is the everyday reality of intensive chicken farming. But it leaves us with just one question: did the farm lie to KFC about its welfare standards, or is KFC lying to the rest of us?”
Since the response video from VFC has gained attention, Niko has removed the original from his social media channels, but Joe.co.uk has kept it up on Facebook.
Matthew said he is aware KFC may sue him for this video. | Photo: VFC
A spokesperson for poultry producer Moy Park said: “Claims such as these are treated incredibly seriously and we immediately reviewed the footage along with independent audits and veterinary reports.
“This farm is managed to a very high standard and our preliminary findings show that it is meeting those standards. The birds are displaying natural behaviours and the farm adheres to all stocking, enrichment and welfare requirements.
“We aim to give our birds the best possible care and 100% of our broiler farms provide access to enrichment, including natural light and perches and along with independent and industry audits we will continue to carefully monitor our farms.”
A look at the swing used for the birds, just one in the entire premises. | Photo: VFC
A KFC spokesperson said: “We take the welfare of the chickens in our supply chain extremely seriously. It’s something we care deeply about – and we know our guests do too.
“We were the first in our sector to sign the Better Chicken Commitment and we’ve made considerable investments to make our annual Welfare Report an open account of how the chickens we buy are treated.
“We are committed to making progress, as shown by the fact that we were named top of the Pecking Order by World Animal protection in 2021. This was made possible due to our ongoing work with third party experts and NGOs to conduct independent audits, holding our suppliers to the highest standard possible.
“We will continue to work with Moy Park to ensure these standards are being met and we will continue to drive transparency, which is an important part of our welfare work – removing misconceptions and ensuring accountability across the industry. We know it won’t always be easy to hear, but we will continue to talk about it regularly and honestly.”
The Lincolnite has also contacted Joe.co.uk and Niko Omilana for comment.
Below are a series of photographs of the findings of VFC during their trip to the chicken farm. Be advised that these pictures contain scenes some may find distressing:
Dead chickens overflowing from an outdoor bin. | Photo: VFC
Dead birds were seen next to live ones. | Photo: VFC
The living conditions for some chickens were shocking, with this one here face to face with faeces. | Photo: VFC
There were a large number of injured or disabled birds, such as this blinded one. | Photo: VFC
Broken limbs and much more. | Photo: VFC
One of the more shocking finds was two dead birds in a wheelbarrow. | Photo: VFC
Matthew was visibly scarred by what he had seen. | Photo: VFC
| Photo: VFC
| Photo: VFC
| Photo: VFC
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An Ingoldmells caravan park will face a near 6% pitch price hike after council bosses approved the measures on Wednesday.
East Lindsey District Council’s executive board members voted unanimously in favour of the 5.8% increase in pitch fees from January 2023, which bosses said represented around 50% of the latest Retail Price Index (RPI) figures.
Councillor Richard Fry, executive member for finance, told members: “As a key measure inflation, using the all items RPI as a basis for uplift is reasonable and proportionate as RPI increases are often the minimum increase applied to the council’s own costs.”
He said that continuing early payment discounts as part of the price list “demonstrates the extent to whcih the council values its loyal licensee customers”.
Following a question from Councillor Adam Grist, he admitted that the council would be taking a net loss on its income when further inflation was taken into next yet.
However, he said: “We do have a loyal licensee base site, and bumping it up by virtually 12% in one shot, even though that is the figure that is currently being used [elsewhere] seems somewhat unreasonable.”
Caravan owners locked in a court battle with ELDC around new limits on the age of carvaans have previously said the price hike would only serve to discourage people from coming to the site.
Stuart Allen previously said many members were “surprised” by the move.
“The site is still only occupied around 50%, with a significant number of the vans on site being directly owned and operated by the council,” he said.
“Increasing the ground rent will further encourage people to leave and discourage people to buy onto the site.
“For multiple years the council refrained from applying any increase in site rent, since COVID and the loss of vans on the site we have had inflationary increases every year.”
Twenty new electric vehicle chargers will be installed in car parks across North Lincolnshire – giving drivers unprecedented access to clean, green energy.
The project, designed to create a future-proof network of charging infrastructure ahead of the global transition to electric vehicles, has been developed with £80,000 of Government cash.
Cllr Rob Waltham, leader of North Lincolnshire Council, said: “We know electric vehicles are the future of transport and, with Government cash, we have started the transition to ensure the infrastructure is in place to support the anticipated growth – clear evidence of levelling-up.
“And, at the same time as future-proofing North Lincolnshire for the global transition to electric vehicles, there is an immediate benefit to those people already driving electric vehicles.
“Many more drivers can now more conveniently charge their vehicles – and take advantage of the two hours free parking available across the area.”
Chargers in the Parishes car park, Scunthorpe, have already been installed and are now live. More are scheduled for Robert Street and Kings Street/Winterton Road car parks.
Others will follow through the summer in the car parks at Bottesford Road, Ashby; Old Courts, Brigg; Cottage Lane, Barton; Potts Lane, Crowle and Church Street, Epworth.
The council is exploring other technologies including solutions to enable access to charging points in communities where off-road parking spaces are at a premium.
Cllr David Rose, cabinet member for the environment, said: “This latest cash from Government will make a huge difference to way people travel across North Lincolnshire and further encourage the transition to electric vehicles.
“This latest project is a part of our Green Future environmental agenda – is at the forefront of everything we do, and this is a big step forward in making sustainable living accessible for everyone.
“This is a significant step-forward towards our ongoing commitment to protecting and enhancing our environment now and into the future.”
The chargers – which have been part-funded by the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV)- are all fast, 22w charging points.
An RFID card is needed for access – go to the Swarco E-connect website, which also has tariff and availability details.