Animal Aid investigators found a chick whose raw-looking head was devoid of any feathers, and another trapped under a water pipe. We also filmed: plastic sacks and floors crawling with maggots; vast quantities of eggs and dead new-born chicks spilling out of sacks and bins onto the ground; and older dead birds stuffed into cardboard boxes, buckets and sacks.
Action: On 29 June 2011, we reported all Animal By-Products non-compliance to North Yorkshire Animal Health. On 1 July 2011, Trading Standards responded ‘As discussed, an officer from Trading Standards attended Westfield Farm yesterday, as a result of the information you supplied. A full inspection was carried out. We were pleased to discover the ABP had been incinerated. The occupier was able to offer an explanation as to why the apparent build up had occurred. There were no major concerns noted regarding the live animals. We have had recent contact with the farm and no major problems were identified. We have advised that should they experience problems with the in-house disposal of ABP in the future they must dispose of it via an alternative, approved method without undue delay. I do not feel that on this occasion we have enough evidence to take formal action.’
The owner of the farm made a counter-complaint to the police about our investigation.
More information: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PHSVsUK7RKI
More information about all three 2011 investigations:: https://www.animalaid.org.uk/new-undercover-film-exposes-suffering-death-maggot-infestation-uk-game-bird-farms/