Holly Spindler
Why welfare improvements are so important to animal protection. A new investigation into eight chicken farms has shown extreme levels of suffering.
A new investigation into eight chicken farms has shown extreme levels of suffering. The footage reveals young chicks deliberately crushed or having water withheld and dying from dehydration. Shockingly, these farms are all certified by the Red Tractor assurance scheme, revealing the low level of protection this scheme actually gives to animals.
These chicken farms are all operated by one of the UK’s biggest chicken producers, Moy Park, which has been previously investigated across three of its farms. Although the initial investigation, released in June 2019, showed horrific conditions, the latest footage shows Moy Park and Red Tractor have clearly done nothing to improve the welfare for chickens.
The new footage was released by our friends at Animal Equality, and shows treatment far beyond neglect. It reveals the extent of abuse that many in the food production industry deem acceptable.
At The Humane League UK, we’re often asked why we fight so hard to improve the welfare of animals on factory farms instead of trying to shut those farms down. We’re asked why we don’t focus only on asking people to stop eating meat instead of improving the conditions of animals raised for food.
As much as we might want it to, the world is not going to go vegan overnight. Realistically, we can’t make companies who have millions of animals in their supply chains stop using animals immediately.
But we can meaningfully reduce the suffering of those animals by working to improve welfare on farms. We can end the use of cages, give animals more space and prevent animals suffering from so many painful health conditions. These changes can make a significant difference to a huge number of animals.
And this investigation is a prime example of why we need these changes on factory farms.
As compassionate people, as animal lovers, we cannot stand by and wait until the day when the world stops eating animal products. There are billions of animals suffering right now. While we’ll continue to encourage others to live a plant-based lifestyle, we’ll be fighting relentlessly for animals suffering on Moy Park operated farms, and other similar farms across the world.
To find out more about why we focus on animal welfare, and how, read our blog.
