Page 23 - Hillside25Years
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By 2011, we had looked at 30 RSPCA                                                                   This farm had a long-standing
Freedom Food farms and ten - a third of                                                              RSPCA Freedom Food
them - were so appalling, they have either                                                           accreditation and we were just
been the subject of a high-profile television                                                        concluding a year-long undercover
programme and/or a court case based on                                                               documentary,
our evidence.                                                                                        ‘A Year of Life, Death and Suffering
                                                                                                     on a Freedom Food Duck Farm’,
                                                                                                     when we encountered these
                                                                                                     barbaric scenes.

Staff Caught Abusing Ducks Destined for Waitrose on Freedom Food Farm ..

Both Sky News and Channel 5 broadcast our shocking investigation of conditions at a Gressingham      Throwing live ducks is incredibly inhumane and would
Foods farm, which was supplying ducks to Waitrose as high welfare, free-range produce.               most certainly have caused suffering through pain or
                                                                                                     injury to the birds. The footage shows unacceptable
Covered in faeces, an injured duck lies on     Our secretly-filmed footage at Hall Farm in           levels of lameness and injury in the flock. Birds that are
the barn floor in a scene from the footage     Norfolk, where we found an RSPCA ‘Freedom             ill or injured should receive veterinary attention or be
                                               Food’ certificate displayed proudly on the wall,      humanely culled without delay. Dead birds,in a state of
                                               showed frightened birds being picked up by their      decomposition that haven't been removed, present a
                                               necks before being swung around and thrown at         risk of disease to the living birds and is indicative of a
                                               the other ducks, as they were herded into crates      lack of even the most basic level of stockmanship duties."
                                               to be taken away for slaughter.
                                                                                                     Despite being told that those responsible had been
                                               Farm animal welfare expert Dr Marc Cooper said:       suspended, there were no prosecutions because the
                                               "Commercially reared meat ducks are flightless,       RSPCA claimed that the staff working that night couldn’t
                                               heavy animals and handling them in this manner is     be identified!!!
                                               likely to cause injury to their neck, legs and body.

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