The Co-op has come under fire from animal welfare activists after footage shows what is claimed to be malformed chickens at three of its supplier farms.
Campaign group Open Cages, who deals with animal abuse and exploitation released the footage on their social media of three Lincolnshire farms that supply the supermarket between August and November last year.
It said the footage shows birds looking deformed, injured and filthy – as well as workers emptying bags loaded with corpses into bins.
The activists claimed some birds were found near death, unable to eat or drink, while others had visibly untreated wounds.
They also claim one of the sites – Sheffield Farm – has been identified as identical to a farm featured in a video produced and promoted by Co-op on its website and in the press, showing healthy-looking chickens raised in clean, spacious conditions
Footage shows hundreds of dead chickens being tossed into maggot-filled bins by ‘laughing’ workers, and one ‘black and blue’ dead bird buried in litter in the later stages of decomposition.
The footage follows an intense debate within the company over the sale of selectively bred fast-growing chickens.
At the company’s annual meeting in May, 96 per cent of Co-op’s 31,000 voting members called for an end to the practice over animal welfare concerns, though this vote was dismissed by the company’s board.
Managing director Matt Hood told the AGM that he would not currently advocate adopting a slower growing breed due to the cost being around 30-35 per cent more expensive.
He argued that the extra cost would likely be passed onto consumers amid the cost-of-living crisis, although the option remains open for the future.
The motion in May also asked for the Co-op board to
”Improve welfare standards for chickens and request the board to consider adopting the Better Chicken Commitment in full’
The motion called for the supermarket to improve stock density – the amount of space birds have on farms.
The Co-op said it supported the motion and it is now being actioned after members voted it through.
The supermarket has committed to improving the stock density, saying the measures will take effect in 2024.
Co-op is unique among UK businesses due to it’s cooperative structure, which allows ‘members’ to vote on business practices.
Co-op member Hannah Dickson said:
”The footage makes me appalled that our Co-op has decided to keep profiting from these sick and suffering animals.”
