Secret video reveals gasoline chamber deaths of egg trade hens | EUROtoday

Secretly recorded footage reveals hens apparently writhing in misery and desperately making an attempt to flee as they’re suffocated to loss of life to supply meat for supermarkets together with Tesco.

In what’s considered the world’s first ever video of its form, the birds are seen twisting their necks as they’re killed with carbon dioxide. They are additionally heard gasping for breath and emitting high-pitched shrieks.

The recordings – which activists say was at an abattoir endorsed by RSPCA Assured – present hens being lowered into the gasoline chamber and dying over the course of a number of minutes.

Critics mentioned the scenes laid naked the “horrors” behind egg manufacturing within the UK – together with the destiny of even free-range and natural hens.

Hens whose egg manufacturing has declined are dubbed “spent”, earlier than they’re killed and their carcasses are packaged for meat.

Animal-lovers have for years objected to the gassing of pigs with carbon dioxide, warning the animals “burn from the inside out” and undergo immensely within the final minutes of their lives.

Last yr 99 per cent of “spent” hens have been surprised and slaughtered with CO2; and 77 per cent of meat chickens have been killed this fashion, in line with authorities figures.

In current years carbon dioxide as a slaughter methodology has progressively changed electrical water tub beautiful, which raised considerations over the inconsistency of stuns.

The footage, taken with hidden cameras, reveals hens – feminine chickens used for laying eggs – twisting in misery as they die, and a few birds apparently making an attempt to flee.

The flooring of the gasoline chamber was suffering from lifeless birds that had jumped out of the crates, in line with activist, filmmaker and vegan advocate Joey Carbstrong, who put in the cameras.

Mr Carbstrong and different activists say they shot the video at an abattoir in West Yorkshire run by HCF Poultry. The firm denies it was at their premises.

HCF provides Cranswick Foods, one of many UK’s largest meat producers, which processes the hens into hen meat merchandise extensively bought within the UK.

There is not any suggestion of wrongdoing by both Cranswick or the abattoir as utilizing CO2 is a completely lawful option to slaughter chickens. However, Mr Carbstrong mentioned the video uncovered “the callous treatment of free-range hens when they are no longer profitable”.

“This footage dismantles the industry’s carefully curated image of ‘happy hens’ and reveals the horrifying truth of how these sensitive birds are discarded,” he mentioned.

“The public are being misled by labelling and have a right to know the reality behind what they are buying.”

Mr Carbstrong added: “Egg-laying hens have been genetically manipulated to produce around 300 eggs per year – far beyond the 10 to 15 eggs naturally laid by their ancestor, the red junglefowl.

“This excessive egg production takes a severe toll on their bodies in multiple ways. Regardless of whether they are free-range, barn-kept or caged, most hens are crammed by the tens of thousands into filthy sheds, where disease runs rampant and cannibalism of dead and dying birds is widespread.

“After just 18 months of relentless exploitation, they are forced to experience a terrifying and agonising death, before being processed into food products.”

The Independent has beforehand revealed one case of hens being stored in “cruelly overcrowded” cages with inadequate water and one other when sick and dying hens have been discovered alongside residing ones at a free-range egg farm supplying main supermarkets in addition to Marks & Spencer.

Around 35 million “spent” hens a yr are killed for his or her meat, figures present. HCF can course of 10,500 birds per hour, in line with a doc from 2018, the newest obtainable.

Jenny L Mace, an affiliate lecturer in animal welfare on the University of Winchester, wrote in a report on the footage that essentially the most regarding findings have been the high-pitched shrieks, gasping, collisions with tools, and chickens falling in opposition to each other and out of the crates.

“Without use of a significantly less aversive gas or gas mixture, it is difficult to see how this method equates to 1) a viable (high-welfare) replacement to the former slaughter method of shackling chickens upside down and stunning in a water bath, and 2) a humane death or the purpose of stunning,” she wrote.

She mentioned CO2 induced respiratory misery, and describing it as an anaesthetic “may be misleading” due to the misery inhaling it causes.

“There is no suggestion of this case being a ‘bad apple’; this is standard practice and in accordance with legislation,” she wrote.

Andrew Opie, of the British Retail Consortium, mentioned on behalf of Tesco and different supermarkets: “Our members know how important animal welfare is to their customers and take their responsibilities to animal welfare very seriously to ensure that expected standards are being met.”

RSPCA Assured mentioned the birds within the footage have been already unconscious and weren’t in ache.

A spokesperson mentioned the footage was deeply upsetting however that carbon dioxide was permitted beneath RSPCA welfare requirements, including: “However, RSPCA standards set requirements that go above the law to ensure a more humane process.

“Due to their physiology, when birds lose consciousness their brains no longer have control over their bodies – which can cause involuntary movements as seen in the footage. This can be incredibly difficult to watch but the birds are actually unconscious when this happens, and are not experiencing pain.”

Cranswick didn’t reply to a request to remark.