Poultry firm pleads guilty to inflict suffering
By Martin Chapman on Friday, 26th March 2004.
A Suffolk poultry processing company has been left to find almost £15,000 after pleading guilty to inflicting unnecessary suffering to thousands of chickens during last years summer heat.
The prosecution was brought against Grampian Country Chickens (Fresh) Ltd of Bury St Edmunds, one of the country’s largest poultry production companies by Suffolk Trading Standards.
Nearly 2,500 chickens out of a load of 5,500 died whilst being transported on a 13 mile journey in temperatures approaching 28 degrees in July last year.
Four previous trips had been made by Grampian from the same farm and hundreds of chickens had died when the industry would have expected only three or fours birds to die in a load of around 5,500.
Peter Monk of Suffolk County Council, welcomed the court’s decision to impose the maximum fine. After the hearing he said: "The size of this fine proves what a serious case this is. When around half the birds being transported die before arrival it indicates a serious disregard for their welfare and the law."
DEFRA vet, an expert witness for Suffolk Trading Standards, Lucy Waters stated: "Following problems on the farm, the combination of high temperatures, high humidity and the high losses found on earlier loads, these birds should never have been transported."
Grampian Country Chickens (Fresh) Ltd was fined the maximum £5,000. However this was reduced to £4,000 as they pleaded guilty. They were also ordered to pay costs of just over £11,000 after pleading guilty at Bury Magistrates court of causing unnecessary suffering to poultry while transporting them.
The prosecution was brought against Grampian Country Chickens (Fresh) Ltd of Bury St Edmunds, one of the country’s largest poultry production companies by Suffolk Trading Standards.
Nearly 2,500 chickens out of a load of 5,500 died whilst being transported on a 13 mile journey in temperatures approaching 28 degrees in July last year.
Four previous trips had been made by Grampian from the same farm and hundreds of chickens had died when the industry would have expected only three or fours birds to die in a load of around 5,500.
Peter Monk of Suffolk County Council, welcomed the court’s decision to impose the maximum fine. After the hearing he said: "The size of this fine proves what a serious case this is. When around half the birds being transported die before arrival it indicates a serious disregard for their welfare and the law."
DEFRA vet, an expert witness for Suffolk Trading Standards, Lucy Waters stated: "Following problems on the farm, the combination of high temperatures, high humidity and the high losses found on earlier loads, these birds should never have been transported."
Grampian Country Chickens (Fresh) Ltd was fined the maximum £5,000. However this was reduced to £4,000 as they pleaded guilty. They were also ordered to pay costs of just over £11,000 after pleading guilty at Bury Magistrates court of causing unnecessary suffering to poultry while transporting them.
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