A turkey farm that supplied UK-based poultry processor Avara Foods and Sainsbury’s has had its Red Tractor accreditation withdrawn after a three-month investigation uncovered inhumane practises.
Gravel Farm, located in the village of Westbury-on-Severn, Gloucestershire, in England’s south west, was the subject of an undercover investigation by Viva, an animal-welfare group that promotes veganism, between September and November.
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The farm, and Avara Foods, were supplying turkeys to UK big four grocer Sainsbury’s. However, a spokesperson for the supermarket chain told just-food it is no longer supplied by Gravel Farm but would not offer any further comment on timing or any other details.
Video footage from Viva discovered turkeys amassed in sheds, mechanically fed and watered, and without any access to daylight.
“One of the most disturbing and serious malpractices discovered at the farm was turkeys being killed with a neck dislocation device,” a practise the Humane Slaughter Association does not recommend for routine slaughter, according to a statement from Viva, a charity based in the city of Bristol and founded by vegan campaigner Juliet Gellatley.
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Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Avara Foods, a joint venture between US agri-food business Cargill and poultry group Faccenda Foods in the UK, said Gravel Farm had been removed from its supply chain following its own investigation.
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By GlobalData“As soon as we were made aware of the allegations we began an immediate investigation, which has since been concluded,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “We have high standards for bird welfare and have decided to remove the farm in question from our supply chain.”
Red Tractor, a UK food-standards body promoting animal welfare, food safety, traceability and environmental protection, said it withdrew its accreditation for Gravel Farm less than 24 hours after being made aware of the findings and having conducted its own unannounced inspection.
It confirmed Red Tractor standards do not “allow the use of any neck-crushing devices – regardless of the size of the bird”.
A spokesperson for Red Tractor said: “We were shocked to see the footage and the farms’ membership from our scheme has been terminated. High animal welfare standards are a top priority, and we take any breaches to these very seriously. We have reported Gravel Farm to the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) to investigate whether any legal action should be taken.”
Lex Rigby, the campaigns manager for Viva, welcomed the decision by Red Tractor but was also critical of the organisation for not doing enough to combat animal cruelty.
He explained the Gravel Farm findings in a statement: “Our team witnessed appalling conditions, documenting the systematic abuse of farmed turkeys, whose short lives are filled with nothing but misery and pain. While some birds were ruthlessly killed with barbaric neck- crushing devices others were left to die slow, agonising deaths from their injuries – all for the sake of Christmas dinner.
“Although we congratulate Red Tractor on taking action against animal cruelty, we are once again left wondering why it is down to organisations like Viva to continually expose the abhorrent conditions on factory farms.
“Our investigation into Avara Foods reiterates the fact that regulatory bodies such as Red Tractor are nothing but a façade for the horrendous, brutal and cruel reality of intensive factory farming in this country. Red Tractor is a meaningless label, who will only terminate a farm’s membership when they are faced with yet another PR disaster, as Viva campaigns have shown time and time again.”
Avara Foods had also issued a more detailed response to the Viva findings on its website.
“On 5th December we were told that an independent farm supplying Avara turkeys had been the victim of a break-in,” the statement read, which the company spokesperson confirmed referred to Gravel Farm. “Given the time of year, and the source, we assume the purpose was to obtain undercover footage to form part of a campaign to encourage a meat-free Christmas. However, the turkeys shown in the footage were not, and were never intended to be, part of our Christmas supply.”
It continued: “When it comes to animal welfare our position is clear: we have high expectations and we will act if there is evidence that they are not being met. We take our values seriously, not just as words on a page, and expect people that work with us and for us to do likewise. If we find that this isn’t the case, it raises serious questions as to whether we can continue to work with them.
“In this particular instance, the evidence suggested that unacceptable practices were taking place on the farm, so we started an immediate investigation to understand the full story.”
