Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.
Hockenhull Turkeys, a Lincolnshire-based farm known for breeding premium turkeys sold during the Christmas season in upscale retailers and butchers, has been suspended from the Red Tractor food standards assurance scheme following allegations of substandard biosecurity and animal welfare practices. This action comes after animal welfare campaigners from the Green Britain Foundation covertly recorded footage showing workers failing to adhere to proper biosecurity protocols, mishandling birds, and, in one disturbing instance, an employee urinating inside a pen full of turkeys. The farm supplies young poults to various farms, including one associated with providing turkeys to Harrods, where such birds can fetch prices as high as £170.
The secret recordings, captured over July and August, revealed troubling behavior such as staff moving between sheds without changing boots or sanitizing their footwear, improper handling of the turkeys, and the highly inappropriate act of urinating in an area housing live birds. A representative for Hockenhull Turkeys, owned by global company Aviagen Turkeys, expressed shock and disappointment upon seeing the footage, emphasizing that the scenes recorded do not reflect the company’s expected standards for animal welfare and biosecurity. The spokesperson stated, “High biosecurity and animal welfare standards are of the utmost importance to us and it is clear here that we have failed to live up to that promise.” They further noted that most employees genuinely care for the animals and that the footage is not representative of a typical day on the farm.
Following the revelations, Red Tractor has taken the significant step of suspending the farm’s certification while an independent investigation is underway. A spokesperson for Red Tractor underscored their commitment to maintaining strict standards for food safety, animal welfare, and traceability, adding, “We take breaches of these standards extremely seriously and will always act on credible evidence of non-compliance.” Inspectors from Red Tractor have also been dispatched to Hockenhull to conduct their own evaluation in response to the concerns raised by the campaign group’s footage. The turkeys bred at this facility are known for being raised and slaughtered using traditional methods aimed at producing high-quality meat, often marketed under the “farmfresh” label.
Though Harrods sells turkeys linked to Hockenhull’s poults, a spokesperson from the luxury retailer clarified that they do not maintain a direct relationship with Hockenhull Turkeys itself but rather with a farm supplier who uses birds from Hockenhull. This supplier is currently conducting an urgent and thorough investigation into the breaches highlighted. The farm supplier follows codes of practice prescribed by the Traditional Farmfresh Turkey Association (TFTA), a body whose comments on the situation have yet to be received by the media. Meanwhile, Dale Vince of the Green Britain Foundation has called on Harrods to immediately halt supplies from Hockenhull and to commission an independent investigation into the allegations, insisting that “Anything less is not really living up to their reputation.” Additionally, the government’s Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA), responsible for overseeing farm animal welfare, is also investigating the matter. A spokeswoman for APHA affirmed, “We take breaches of animal welfare legislation very seriously and will always take action where we find this.
Read the full article from The BBC here: Read More
Auto Amazon Links: No products found. Blocked by captcha.