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Video shows ducks sold by Tesco, Asda and Waitrose ‘brutally shackled on electric waterbath lines and dragged by wings’

Ducks sold by Sainsbury's, Waitrose and Tesco by were brutally hung from shackle lines and dragged by their heads, necks, and wings while still alive in a series of violent breaches of guidelines caught on camera.

Workers were filmed rough-handling ducks, ramming them with force into the shackles.

Staff at the Red Tractor-endorsed Gressingham Duck – which also supplies the Co-op, Asda and Morrisons – even used live ducks to hit torn-off birds’ feet from the shackles, investigators claim.

Several workers were seen yelling heatedly at one another, which experts say led to their aggressively manhandling the ducks – many of which are thought to be destined for freezing ahead of Christmas dinners.

The Co-op suspended Gressingham as a supplier after seeing the footage, and others said they were launching investigations.

Food standards chiefs are to investigate the allegations against the company, which is the UK's largest duck producer, killing around eight million birds a year.

Undercover footage reveals ducks being grabbed roughly by workers from crates, hung upside down and sent along shackle lines into an electrical waterbath, according to the Animal Justice Project (AJP) group, which filmed inside the slaughterhouse.

Use of shackles is legal, but government farm animal welfare advisers called in 2009 for live shackling to be phased out, saying it “may cause considerable pain and distress”.

But rough handling, causing birds distress and pulling them by their body parts all break codes on animal welfare at slaughter – which is illegal.

The investigators claim they saw “a staggering” 15 breaches of EU, UK government and Red Tractor guidelines in just one day at the Suffolk-based abattoir.

Gressingham Duck said the footage mostly showed a “well-run, high-welfare poultry processing plant” with “no clear evidence of abuse or neglect”.

Sales of duck and geese had been predicted to rise this Christmas with the “rule of six” meaning smaller family gatherings.

AJP claims ducks arrived at the slaughterhouse with huge sores and in filthy crates.

“Workers were caught on camera brutalising and rough-handling ducks, ramming them with force into shackles, which is likely to cause extra pain and injury to their delicate legs. Ducks were also filmed being grabbed and dragged by their heads or necks, one leg and wings across crates. Another breach of guidelines,” said spokeswoman Claire Palmer.

The birds are seen in the video sometimes still flapping as they are sent to an electrical waterbath - practices the group says are condemned by UK and European authorities. “Shackling and involuntary inversion appeared to cause the ducks significant distress,” said Ms Palmer.

Once on the shackles, video footage showed some birds were left hanging for two periods well over the legal time limit of two minutes: once for at least 14 minutes and once for almost 12 minutes, investigators say.

The European Food Safety Authority, as well as the Farm Animal Welfare Council, has urged that live shackling and waterbath stunning be replaced as soon as possible “to spare birds from severe welfare consequences".

The Food Standards Agency said it would seize Gressingham’s CCTV to inspect it.

Guidelines say people must not drag animals by the head, ears, tail or handle them in a way that would cause pain or suffering; birds being shackled must be relaxed and not touch each other or be distressed, and poultry must not get a shock before touching a waterbath.

Alick Simmons, former UK government deputy chief vet and former Food Standards Agency veterinary director, said: “The video shows a cramped hanging-on bay and a slaughter line being run too quickly for the available space, resulting in the ducks being frequently handled inhumanely and without due care.

“Operatives argue with each other; they are distracted and hence take poor care.

“Shackled birds are allowed to touch each other meaning that birds further up the line will receive pre-stun non-lethal shocks.”

Ms Palmer said: “The irony is that the most water that Gressingham ducks will ever experience is when they hit the electric waterbath inside this slaughterhouse.

Consumers need to know that their choices in the run-up to Christmas and beyond can have a huge impact on other animals’ lives.”

Last December The Independent reported how ducks at a Gressingham farm were slung onto the floor “like trash” after having their necks broken and ducklings were denied open water and flailed in distress on their backs. 

At the time, the company said: “The welfare of our birds is an absolute priority. We work to the highest standards in hygiene, biosecurity and animal welfare,” and that there was no evidence of birds being left to die in pain.

A spokesperson said on Wednesday: "The majority of the footage shows processes indicative of a well-run, high welfare poultry processing plant.

"There is no clear evidence of abuse or neglect by Gressingham staff in this footage.

"There are actions that are not representative of the high standards expected of our factory. They will be fully investigated in conjunction with external auditors and the appropriate actions taken to ensure immediate improvements.

"Gressingham Foods are registered under Red Tractor, meaning that they are subject to full independent audit and defined standards of production.

"The welfare of our birds is an absolute priority. We work to the highest standards in hygiene, bio-security and animal welfare.

"All staff responsible for the welfare of our birds have the necessary training with regular updates for continuous improvement."

A Red Tractor spokesperson said: “Protecting animal health and welfare is one of our top priorities and we take any allegations of breaches to our standards very seriously. As soon as we were made aware of the footage, we launched an immediate investigation to substantiate the claims and to review the behaviours seen.

“Corrective action will be taken where necessary.”

The Co-op said it had suspended the company while it investigated.

A Sainsbury’s spokesperson said: “We are urgently investigating this issue with Gressingham Foods.”

An Asda spokesman said: “We have comprehensive animal welfare standards in place that we expect all suppliers to uphold and are speaking with the supplier about these allegations.”

A Tesco spokesperson said: “We require high animal welfare standards from all brands sold at Tesco. These claims are deeply concerning and as soon as we became aware we immediately launched an investigation.”

The Independent has also asked the other supermarkets supplied to comment. 

Canada’s first case of rare swine flu strain found in a human

A rare strain of swine flu has been detected in Canada, health authorities reported on Wednesday.

The H1N2 virus is not uncommon in pigs but the case detected in the western province of Alberta was Canada's first instance of human infection. 

Local and national health experts were working together to investigate the infection and to verify that it has not spread, according to Dr Theresa Tam, Canada's chief public health officer. 

“This is a rare type of flu in humans, typically acquired from exposure to infected pigs and not known to spread easily from human to human,” Dr Tam said in a statement. 

Dr Tam stressed that the virus “is not linked to Covid-19 and it is not a foodborne illness", meaning that it cannot be spread through eating pork.

Health officials detected the virus in mid-October after the infected person sought medical assistance with flu-like symptoms.   

The patient was experiencing mild symptoms and was taken for testing before recovering, Alberta's health chiefs said in statement.   

Dr Deena Hinshaw, Alberta's chief medical officer, said the infection was not linked to slaughterhouses but authorities are continuing to search for a source. 

“All [past cases] have been linked to direct or indirect contact with swine, and none of the previously reported cases have caused sustained human-to-human transmission,” Dr Hinshaw told reporters on Wednesday, adding: “there is no increased risk to Albertans at this time.” 

The case is thought to be isolated though health officials are working to determine whether the virus has spread. 

Only 27 cases of H1N2 in humans have been reported worldwide since 2005 though it is known to infect pig herds around the world. 

Reference: Independent: Liam James  10 hrs ago

Oregon police investigating decapitated deer heads left near pro-Biden, Black Lives Matter signs

An Oregon police department last week launched an investigation into decapitated deer heads left near a sign backing Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden and a Black Lives Matter sign.

The Lake Oswego Police Department said it received two reports of deer heads near signs, according to a Friday press release.

The first was reported at 9:19 a.m. near a sign backing Biden and his running mate Sen. Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), while the other was reported at 12:23 p.m. next to a Black Lives Matter sign in front of a home, according to the release and NBC News.

Sgt. Tom Hamann, a department spokesman, told The Hill that police are investigating "all possibilities, including that it is bias related."

2 deer heads were found in the Palisades neighborhood of Lake Oswego yesterday (10/29), and police are asking for information about the person(s) who placed them. Read more: https://t.co/40MKhpjNhB

- Lake Oswego Police (@LOPolice) October 30, 2020

A police spokesperson told NBC News in an email Monday that no suspects have been arrested.

Hamann told Oregon Live that police will look into the incidents as potential bias crimes but didn't want to make assumptions.

"Considering how contentious everything is with the election and everything else, people are losing their minds about it and drawing conclusions," Hamann said. "We, of course, have to be careful not to do that and follow the fact where they lead us."

The sergeant also said the department has not ruled out animals leaving the heads by the signs after hunters disposed of them incorrectly.

Reference: The Hill: Justine Coleman  1 day ago

Mirror, signal, mane-oeuvre! Lion is seen ready for a roaring ride

Settling down behind the wheel of a jeep, this lion looks ready for a roaring ride around a safari park.

In fact there was no cause for alarm at the Siky Park zoo in Switzerland — Zumba was merely exploring his enclosure when he popped his head through the back window of the empty car used as a distraction for him and his mate Timba. 

The moment was captured by photographer Emmanuel Keller, who said: ‘To me it looks like Zumba is driving around in his off-road car to impress his wife Timba.’ 

Zumba had just enjoyed some lunch too if the bloodstains on his chin are anything to go by.

There are about 300 animals at Siky Park, an animal rescue centre and retirement home.