The title “Christmas turkeys ‘plucked alive’ in ‘horrific’ undercover footage” was seen by millions of people, alongside our heart-wrenching investigation findings.
In the lead up to the Christmas period, around 12 million turkeys are mercilessly killed inside UK abattoirs. With the vast majority being reared in intensive sheds, these large, intelligent birds experience very little joy in their lives. Our footage, taken inside Pastures Poultry, showed Christmas turkeys at this free-range farm being plucked alive and chickens put in a scalding hot tank still flapping and struggling.
What we filmed is the shocking reality of so-called high-welfare turkey farming – live plucking, a filthy, blood-drenched kill floor, and the scalding of live birds. Farms like Pastures Poultry supply cutesy farmers markets, and portray themselves as having high standards, but the reality is very, very different.
We urge people to opt for a compassionate plant-based Christmas. This year and every year.
This reflected a failure to adhere to EU regulation 1099/2009 on the protection of animals at the time of killing, as well as the Welfare of Animals at the Time of Killing (WATOK) regulations for England.
In a series of shocking, grim scenes, we filmed turkeys flapping around still conscious and panicking as the butcher roughly pulled feathers out before they were dead. Watch our ground-breaking investigation into free-range slaughter.
The farm, which was a runner-up in the Northamptonshire food and drink awards 2018-19, stated on its website: ‘At Pastures Farm we produce top-quality poultry. ‘We rear our free-range birds on the farm enjoying the outdoors on grass in a natural environment and our barn-eared birds have clean dry straw daily with lots of space.All our processing and butchery is carried out on the farm in our 5-star hygiene-rated butchery, so no food miles there.’
Workers were caught on our cameras breaking rules set by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) around slaughter. Turkeys still flapped as they were plucked almost immediately, and thus alive, after having their throats cut – not adhering to DEFRA’s rule that they must be allowed to ‘bleed out’ for two minutes. DAFRA’s rules for chickens also state they must bleed out for 90 seconds before being placed in a scalding tank, but the farm only gave them 70 seconds. Chickens entering scalding tanks clearly still alive and still flapping.
Live turkeys in holding pens watching other turkeys being stunned, killed and plucked.
Guinea fowl were not effectively stunned, leaving them frantically struggling, showing they were not dead when they were put in scalding water to loosen their feathers. These tiny, defenceless birds literally had their feathers ripped out whilst still alive.
Workers yanked birds by their necks while they were hanging by their legs upside down on shackles.
Birds in filthy, dilapidated sheds. A far cry from their claims that the birds ‘enjoy the outdoors on grass in a natural environment’.
By highlighting the importance of animals needing rights, rather than welfare reforms, our clear anti-speciesist messaging sends a clear, direct message to consumers that we must choose vegan.
By using undercover investigation work as examples of WHY we must eat plant-based, this campaign urges shoppers to make informed, compassionate choices and to Respect All Life.
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