RSPCA rejects claims of poor animal welfare on egg laying free range farm

Stuart Agnew said that the video had been shot by Hillside Animal Sanctuary on December 17 last year without his knowledge
Stuart Agnew said that the video had been shot by Hillside Animal Sanctuary on December 17 last year without his knowledge

The RSPCA has rejected claims of poor animal welfare on an RSPCA Assured free range egg unit in Norfolk.

A report criticising conditions on the farm – owned by UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew – was published in the Daily Mail after a protestor gained access to the egg unit and recorded video footage inside a 16,000-bird shed.

But the RSPCA says the video was shot whilst the birds were suffering from enteritis and that a vet was treating the animals. Stuart Agnew’s packer, Noble Foods, said that Stuart Agnew had not breached any welfare guidelines.

Stuart Agnew, himself, described the protestor as irresponsible and said that the intrusion had led to bird deaths.

The RSPCA told FarmingUK that it was initially concerned when it saw the video footage posted on the Daily Mail’s web site. An RSPCA farm livestock officer was sent to investigate.

It said in a statement: “The flock had suffered from enteritis - a common disease that affects the gut of the bird and is usually accompanied by diarrhoea - which can result in feather loss.

“Sadly, farm animals do fall sick from time to time and what is important is that they receive vet treatment swiftly.

“The farm records clearly showed that the farmer had sought veterinary attention without delay - in accordance with the RSPCA welfare standards - and the flock was treated with antibiotics.”

The unnamed protestor who shot the video was quoted in the Daily Mail as saying: “In an instant I was reaching for my handkerchief, so eye-stinging was the stench. The smell of ammonia was ghastly, but what I saw was even worse.

“Many were bald. The ones I examined were covered in mites, some with sores. Several had wounds the others pecked. It was a revolting sight.”

No concerns found

But the RSPCA told FarmingUK that the flock and its environment were thoroughly checked by its inspector and no major welfare concerns were found.

“It is always upsetting to see birds that have experienced disease and feather loss and, whilst standards are in place to minimise these risks, it is not always possible to mitigate them entirely,” said a spokeswoman.

“A camera crew entering a hen house in the middle of the night, using a bright torch light, will cause the birds to be distressed and flock together, which can make things appear worse than they actually are.”

The RSPCA inspector checked ammonia levels on the unit and found one area of the shed where it was slightly high. Appropriate action was taken to improve the ventilation in this area, said the RSPCA.

The spokeswoman said: “Farm records showed that a process was in place for carrying out regular checks of the droppings pit for any birds that might have accidentally entered the pit - like the bird in the footage appears to have done - so they can be removed.”

The protestor appeared to complain that birds were not allowed out at night. The RSPCA said that birds were being let outside during the day to range and housed inside at night, in accordance with the RSPCA’s standards for free range hens.

'We take welfare seriously'

Noble Foods said it was initially concerned about the report in the Daily Mail. “We always take the welfare of free range hens very seriously and we are saddened to see the condition of these hens.

“An independent RSPCA and Freedom Foods inspection of the flock took place immediately after we were alerted of the footage and the farmer has not breached any guidelines on animal welfare.

“In August 2015, the farmer immediately contacted his local vet (Crowshall Poultry Vets) when he noticed some of his birds were unwell.

“Since then the flock which features in this footage has been under veterinary supervision and measures including a treatment plan are in place to safeguard their wellness.

“The farm in question is accredited by the RSPCA to offer high levels of hen welfare, with regular reviews being undertaken. All of these reviews, including the most recent, have met the required industry hen welfare standards.”

Stuart Agnew said that the video had been shot by Hillside Animal Sanctuary on December 17 last year without his knowledge.

“The pictures, which appear to be cleverly choreographed by the activists, were sent to a journalist, who, on 20th January, sent them to the RSPCA. Within a few hours of receipt, the RSPCA arrived unannounced on my farm for an immediate audit and inspection.

“I was absent, but my staff were present. Our records, birds and farm premises were closely inspected.

“Our records demonstrated that the flock was under veterinary treatment for a feather loss problem that started the previous August with a condition known as enteritis. An expensive course of drugs was being administered at the time of the break in.”

Protester affected the birds health

Stuart Agnew said the RSPCA found that the birds were being treated properly. He was simply asked to reduce the temperature of the building and to mend a broken perch.

He went on to suggest that the protester had affected the birds’ health by intruding into the shed.

“In the days after 17th December we noted that our egg production dropped and bird mortality increased to the point that our vet was consulted. Our vet had been asked to examine both live and dead birds from our flock to determine what was happening. The conclusion was severe stress from an unknown cause.

“With subsequent knowledge of the time and date of the illegal trespass by Hillside’s activists, we now know the likely cause.

“The photos taken by Hillside show willfully inconsiderate individuals rousing my hens in the dead of night.

“By wading through them, frightening them with torches, handling the birds and displacing them to pose them for photographs, these irresponsible individuals caused our birds to think that they were being attacked by predators.

“All this was done during a national avian influenza crisis where strict bio-security protocols must be followed when entering poultry units, and at a time when these chickens were under strict medical control due to their treatment for an uncomfortable condition.”

Donations keep business afloat

He said that Hillside Animal Sanctuary depended upon public donations to keep its business afloat.

“As a fund-raising exercise, terrifying egg laying hens under veterinary supervision to the point where several die and many stop laying eggs has to be a questionable activity.”

He said that entering poultry units without permission when strict bio-security measures were in place, particularly during an avian influenza outbreak, was “grossly irresponsible and in certain circumstances illegal.”

Stuart said: “Hillside keep a significant number of poultry that have been picked up from here, there and everywhere. Their activists have come straight from a uncontrolled disease situation into my secure poultry house.”

He said: “The horrific consequences of the irresponsible publicity-seeking behaviour of animal rights activists are well known in Norfolk following the suicide of Norfolk farmer Stephen Brown in 2012.”

Stephen Brown was a pig farmer who killed himself after video filmed by animal rights activists led to an RSPCA investigation.

Stuart Agnew said that animal welfare abuses should rightly be brought to account by the appropriate authorities, but respect for the rights of the individuals involved should not be forgotten.

He said he would call for the law to be improved to stop activists from irresponsibly breaching bio-security precautions and undermining the right of the individual to due process.