Channel 4's Big Food fight sparks debate on poultry production

The British poultry sector is bracing itself for a series of TV programmes and newspaper articles questioning current production methods.

Coverage started with a two-page article in The Independent claiming to reveal new video footage showing welfare abuse on a broiler unit near Leominster, Worcestershire.

Compassion In World Farming, who made the film, claim to have made visits in October and November and found lameness and birds suffering.

However, the unit manager denied any problems and said mortality rarely exceeded 3%.

The article also contains an opinion piece by University of Bristol professor John Webster where he calls for political action on breeding companies to "ban the production of birds unfit for purpose."