Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Lidl and Nando's chicken supplier leaves deformed birds to die slowly on Taunton farm

A live chick was placed in a bucket of dead birds. It took an hour to die

Wednesday 02 August 2017 14:08 BST

Four sheds housed some 150,000 birds, the investigation found (Animal Equality)

A chicken producer that supplies Asda, Lidl and Nando’s allegedly breached animal welfare laws after hidden cameras discovered that deformed and ill birds were left to die slowly and painfully.

Production has since stopped at the farm near Taunton in Somerset following the investigation by vegan campaign group Animal Equality that was carried out between May and July.

The investigation witnessed a worker throwing a live chick in a wheelbarrow of dead and dying birds and leaving it for an hour, before coming back to empty the wheelbarrow into another bin. The worker then took the chick out – assumed to be the same one – and and broke its neck.

Workers allegedly kicked birds out of the way and the animal rights group found sheds were overcrowded, with four sheds housing 150,000 birds.

Warning – readers may find the following pictures distressing

Some of the birds were deformed, and often too weak to stand or reach for water or grain.

Cambria Farm supplies Faccenda, the second largest chicken company in the UK, and it employs cost-cutting methods that mean a chicken can cost just £3, The Times reported.

The most controversial animal killings

Show all 6

1/6The most controversial animal killings

The most controversial animal killings

Cincinnati Zoo worker shots and kills Harambe, the 17-year-old gorilla

Harambe, a 17-year-old gorilla was shot and killed by a Cincinnati Zoo worker after a three-year-old boy climbed into a gorilla enclosure and was grabbed and dragged by Harambe. The incident was recorded on video and received broad international coverage and commentary, including controversy over the choice to kill Harambe. A number of primatologists and conservationists wrote later that the zoo had no other choice under the circumstances, and that it highlighted the danger of zoo animals in close proximity to humans and the need for better standards of care

Cincinnati Zoo & Botanical Garden

The most controversial animal killings

Walt Palmer (left), from Minnesota, who killed Cecil, the Zimbabwean lion (pictured here with another lion shot in Africa)

Walter James Palmer has been named by Zimbabwe Conservation Task Force as the shooter of Cecil, a 13-year-old prized lion. He is now wanted by Zimbabwe officials on poaching charges. The lion was protected and the subject of a decade long study by the Wildlife Unit of Oxford University in the UK. He was outfitted with a GPS collar and was killed in Hwange National Park. The Zimbabwe National Parks and Wildlife Authority and the Safari Operators Association said that two men were charged with poaching in connection to Mr Palmer

The most controversial animal killings

Kendall Jones hunting images

Kendall Jones, a 19-year-old Texas Tech university student, has provoked worldwide fury after posting pictures of herself smiling next to animals she hunted, including a lion, rhinoceros, antelope, leopard, elephant, zebra and hippopotamus

The most controversial animal killings

Rebecca Francis hunting images

Rebecca Francis, a huntress who has killed dozens of wild animals has been sent death wishes by furious social media users after a picture showing her lying down next to a dead giraffe was circulated. Rebecca Francis has a website and Facebook page dedicated to the animals she has killed in hunts across Africa and America. Francis, a prolific hunter who has also co-hosted the television show Eye of the Hunter, regularly posts pictures of herself posing next to dead bears, giraffes, buffaloes and zebras, among other animals. She uses a bow and arrow to kill her prey

The most controversial animal killings

The slaughter of Marius, an 18-month-old healthy giraffe in Copenhagen Zoo

Copenhagen Zoo made the controversial decision to euthanise a healthy giraffe named Marius, which was later dissected and fed to lions as visitors watched. The slaughter sparked a furious backlash from social media users and zoo staff have received death threats by phone and email. Soon after the incident, Copenhagen Zoo faced an international outcry once again after four healthy lions were put down

The most controversial animal killings

Swiss Dählhölzli zoo kills healthy brown bear cub

A Switzerland zoo faced heavy criticism from animal rights groups, after keepers put down a healthy brown bear cub to spare it from being bullied by its dominant male father. The 360 kg male bear Misha had already killed one of his 11-week old cubs in public and was bullying the second, staff at the zoo said, because he was jealous of the attention the cubs were receiving from their mother, Masha. Both adult brown bears had been donated to Bern’s Dählhölzli zoo in 2009. Campaigners condemned staff there for not separating the cubs, who are being referred to as Baby Bear Two and Baby Bear Three, and their mother from Misha after their birth in January

Facebook

A chicken will live for about 40 days in such conditions. Many birds die during this time.

It is then loaded into a crate and driven by lorry for 140 miles to Faccenda’s slaughterhouse in Northamptonshire.

Slowly dying birds too weak to stand (Animal Equality)

Chickens were found with serious deformities (Animal Equality)

A Faccenda spokesman told The Times that an “external vet” was sent to the farm to investigate workers kicking chickens and approved it, described by the spokesman as “shepherding” birds out of the way.

Paul Vaughan-France, owner of the farm, told The Times: “I will take the images as good feedback and will do everything I can to work on every aspect of my husbandry.

“I have had an independent vet on site to review my practices and he is satisfied with his findings.”

A Nando’s spokesman said: “Animal welfare is very important to us and we source 100 per cent of our chickens from suppliers that meet the UK Red Tractor standards. We were extremely concerned to hear the report that this farm was not meeting our standards and we are conducting a thorough investigation. Nando’s will continue to insist all of our suppliers meet our strict animal welfare expectations, and will only ever source from farms that do.”

Lidl and Asda could not be immediately reached for comment by The Independent.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies