Animal Equality reports that some of the farms concerned are certified by the Red Tractor assurance scheme and operated by Moy Park, which is one of the UK’s largest chicken producers and also a known supplier of McDonald’s and supermarket chains such as Tesco and Ocado.

The distressing footage shows  lame chickens left to die of dehydration when unable to reach the drinkers and workers killing  hundreds of chicks by twisting their necks by hand . It also shows chickens crammed into huge and overcrowded barns, barely able to move or stretch their wings. As a result of standing and lying on filthy, -soaked litter, the chickens also presented  lesions on their feet and chests.

This case is particularly concerning as two of the farms investigated have been at the center of previous serious animal welfare complaints. Unfortunately, these troubling scenes are not uncommon and only reflective of an industry that values profit over animal welfare. Chickens raised for meat have been selectively bred over time to grow extremely large and incredibly quickly. As a result, many of them suffer from weak hearts, lungs and legs, their bodies burdened by the strain of their unnaturally heavy bodies. After all this, they’re killed when they’re little more than one month old.

Animal Equality is calling on McDonald’s to join its competitors in signing on the Better Chicken Commitment and stop these terrible abuses from happening within its supply chain.

Read more at source: Animal Equality