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Undercover film shows a farmer punching a duck
Last updated at 10:08am on 13.03.07
Still footage from the horrifying video
Grim conditions and cruelty on farms promising to meet high ethical standards have been revealed in a shocking undercover investigation.
Farms supplying leading stores are guilty of "appalling" animal abuse, it is claimed.
Undercover filming on one farm, which boasts high welfare standards, shows a duck being punched. Workers on the farm are also seen treating the ducks roughly, grabbing them around the throats, kicking and throwing them.
• See video footage from the investigation, including a brief scene showing the duck punching, here
Shocking conditions on a number of farms sanctioned by the RSPCA farm animal welfare scheme, Freedom Foods, have also been revealed. For example, dead and injured ducks are seen in sheds on one farm approved by the animal welfare charity.
Squalid conditions were found on an intensive pig farm, where two of the animals appear to be lame and so are likely to be in pain, while the floor of an industrial turkey shed is seen to be littered with injured birds.
The images would be shocking in any circumstances, however all these farms claim to operate to high welfare standards.
Farms approved by the RSPCA are allowed to put the "Freedom Foods" logo on their products and demand higher prices.
The undercover film footage raise serious questions as to whether people paying more for food produced from ethical sources are being misled.
The evidence of the films also suggest there are gaping loopholes in the RSPCA's policing regime for its Freedom Foods scheme.
Former RSPCA council member, Celia Hammond, criticised the animal welfare charity's decision to lend its name to intensive farming as "morally wrong".
She said the charity does not have the number of inspectors needed to ensure high standards are being maintained.
Miss Hammond said: "I've seen some horrific undercover footage taken in various establishments.
"These animals are going to be packaged and sent out to an unsuspecting public who are going to be ... thinking that because it has an RSPCA logo on it, these animals are going to have had a wonderful and comfortable life.
"I'm afraid in a lot of cases that is not the case and I feel angry that people are believing that this RSPCA logo ensures humanity."
She described the conditions for farmed ducks shown in the undercover footage as "absolutely disgraceful".
Miss Hammond said: "I'm appalled. A lot of the ducks in this footage that I've just seen are exhibiting neurological symptoms.
"A lot of them are lame. Some of them are clearly dead and look as though they've been dead for a long time, but there's a lot of suffering going on there. That shouldn't be happening."
Miss Hammond, who was one of the first supermodels in the 1960s, said consumers are paying two to three times as much for meat carrying the RSPCA logo.
"It does sadden me that the RSPCA has this involvement in this business...I think it's a pity that something like this is going to make people doubt them."
She called on the RSPCA to withdraw the Freedom Food Scheme, which has been operating for 13 years.
The footage was gathered by workers at the Hillside Animal Sanctuary and are due to be shown on Tonight with Trevor MacDonald on ITV on Tuesday evening.
The footage of a worker punching a duck comes from Cherrydene Farm, at Bergh Apton, Norfolk, which produces for Manor Farm Ducklings(MFD Foods Ltd).
The company's website claims high welfare standards, adding its "naturally ventilated houses are the next best thing to free range".
Footage taken on October 25 last year appears to show film of ducks being rounded up and put into crates for transportation.
One member of staff apparently punches a duck, others are seen picking up ducks by the throat and kicking them. A similar scene was captured five days later.
Manor Farm Ducklings said the worker involved in the punch has been disciplined.
It said: "All duck growing farms are routinely audited by external and internal auditing bodies as well as by veterinary and field support staff."
The company said the worker involved in the alleged punch on a duck was immediately suspended pending a police and RSPCA investigation.
It said: "MFD fully supported the investigation and no further action was taken by the authorities.
"The company disciplined the individual...The person concerned is no longer with the company."
The RSPCA's chief executive, Jackie Ballard, admitted the film footage raised serious welfare questions. But she said the charity is ensuring real improvements on farms.
"There were some examples of very poor animal welfare on those farms and of animals that were very clearly suffering and that's not good enough," she said.
"We don't sit on a farm 24 hours a day monitoring, so we don't see what's going on all the time. So inevitably sometime things will go wrong."
She insisted the charity has more monitoring of farm standards than any of the other quality and welfare labelling schemes that exist.
"We made 4,500 visits last year alone so we're visiting all of the accredited schemes at least once a year, or once every 15 months to give them accreditation.
"It would be good if we could do even more.
"I am ashamed when I see examples of bad welfare. I'm not happy about it.
"The RSPCA is an animal welfare organisation. The reason we involved ourselves with this scheme in the first place, which is a high risk thing to do, and costs us over a million pounds a year to do, the reason we did is we want to improve animal welfare."
Reader views (7)
While people insist on buying meat from the supermarket and as cheaply as possible, this kind of thing will go on. Factory farming is cruel and live animals are seen as mere 'meat producing units' and not as animals. The buck stops squarely at the consumer.
This sort of thing is why I eat only whatever meat I produce myself, I am a smallholder and keep goats for meat and milk, chickens for meat and eggs and rear a couple of pigs every year. At least I know how they have lived and died. If I couldn't do it this way, I would be eating less meat and buying from local farmers where I could see for myself how they are kept, or I would stop eating meat.
- Pam Thompson, wisbech, UK
I am going back to being a vegetarian, I have ceased my membership with the R.S.P.C.A. as I feel that they are too high and mighty, and are becoming too official, I have four members of my family who are very concerned about animal welfare, this is despicable treatment, who are these mentally sick employees on these farms anyway? Disgusting!
- Jeanette, Somerset
What is being done to stop these horrific acts against animals? I cannot understand how this is being allowed and there are not severe punishments for the RSPCA. These little guys are so innocent, I pray that this will stop immediately.
- Lynn , Palm Springs, CA
I am currently watching the program and am horrified. The footage speaks volumes - I will never eat meat again.
- Kerry Mcquaide, London, UK
As long as people eat animal flesh there will be the animal abuse. Ducks and other so called "food" animals are treated as an objects and not sentient beings - no wonder that the cruelty is rampant!
Stop eating animals - for the sake of our health, health of the planet and the sake of animals!
- Teresa Buss-Carden, Sydney, Australia
This and many other issues, such as the clear abuse of the judicial system in persecuting pet owners by vexatious private prosecutions, clearly demonstrates the need for an urgent public enquiry into the conduct of the RSPCA.
The RSPCA is a hugely wealthy organisation with an annual income of over £100 million pounds, and reserves of over £160 million pounds, yet the work it actually does continues to decline. The RSPCA's own data shows a decline of inspection of 94% between 2000 and 2005.
The only part of the RSPCA which the substantially increased is it’s ‘Political Campaigning’.
- Chris Newman, Southampton, Hampshire
The above story sends alarm bells ringing to the fact that too much responsibilty and influence has been given to the RSPCA. It is obvious that they have been diverting a considerable amount (too much) of their resources into a political agenda and have seemingly become complacent in regard to animal welfare. Only recently we read of Animal Minister Ben Bradshaw endorsing and promoting the RSPCA and their Freedom Foods which only now reflects on both the RSPCA and Mr Bradshaw. Animal welfare and high standards are NOT just about the RSPCA`s policies and as the new Animal Welfare Bill is introduced it is time to reconsider many areas of this new legislation.
- Andrew Meads, Kettering England
