An investigator from Essere Animali engaged in the undercover investigation by working for a month in AIA - the main Italian producer of poultry meat. Placed in several farms located in Piedmont he filmed the entire chicken breeding cycle. He documented serious mistreatment of chickens and breeding conditions which are considered to pose a serious risk to public health by the scientific community, both for the spread of viruses and for the massive use of antibiotics.

Watch the investigation video:

The animals are born in hatcheries from which they are transported the farms after only one day. Upon arrival, they are unloaded in violent ways, thrown to the ground from a height of over one meter. While some chicks die from the impact with the ground, others are injured, sometimes permanently. 

After only six weeks chickens are sent to the slaughterhouse. Loading operations take place in the dark in order not to further agitate the animals, but the lack of light presents a hazard for both workers and chickens. The chickens are being stepped on and get stuck in the conveyor belts that will lead them to the cages. During loading the animals are treated violently, grouped in kicks or thrown on the ground.