Chickens reared by one of Morrisons’ main suppliers are dying deformed and in pain, an Open Cages investigation has found. Footage from four intensive farms in East Anglia reveals the extreme suffering of Morrisons’ welfare assured “Market Street” chickens.
Morrisons is still yet to act and stop the sale of FrankenChicken.
The investigation was conducted from May-June 2021. Investigators filmed in four randomly selected farms owned by Morrisons supplier Cranswick. They recorded the extreme daily suffering of FrankenChickens – birds genetically engineered to grow unnaturally big, unnaturally fast.
The video, narrated by Chris Packham, shows near-identical scenes on all four farms – demonstrating the systemic suffering of artificially bred FrankenChickens.
- Chickens were found completely or almost unable to walk. Many were filmed with deformed and twisted legs, frantically flapping their wings and collapsing in pain.
- A thin bird can be seen with its back covered in dried, bloody wounds. The animal has an open wound on its chest and was found keeled over on its back, unable to stand. The chest wound is likely a result of being trampled.
- Blackened dead bodies were found left to rot on multiple sites, on one farm forming a pile surrounded by flies.
- Hundreds were covered in filth and suffering chemical burns from laying in their own waste.
- The conditions are so crowded that in their last weeks these birds have no more space on average than an A4 sheet of paper each.
- Investigators described the farms as “riddled with lame and sick animals in pain. It was hellish.”
Morrisons told the Daily Mirror: “We care deeply about animal welfare and require all our suppliers to maintain the highest standards. We have asked Cranswick to conduct a full investigation and report back to us.”
Morrisons is fully aware of the horrific reality for these chickens. And yet, they refuse to accept responsibility for their failing animal welfare standards.
“Do Morrisons seriously not see the problems here?” asks Chris Packham who is campaigning alongside Open Cages for Morrisons to stop the sale of FrankenChicken.
“These images have revealed without any ambiguity that extreme suffering is rampant in the supermarket’s chicken supply chain. These poor animals are forced to endure pain, deformities, heart attacks and filthy, overcrowded conditions. And it just keeps going on and on and on.“
Packham continues: “Morrisons’ marketing is contrived to put us at ease, to generate ideas of quality food, of friendly local farmers and to trust their claims of high animal welfare standards.
But the ugly truth of Market Street is undeniable. And yet, Morrisons continues to ignore, deny and delay whilst companies like M&S have taken swift and decisive action.
I just don’t know how Morrisons’ decision makers can see this footage and allow it to continue?”
Chickens have not evolved to gain 2kg in 35 days: they have been artificially bred to do so. Significant numbers of these FrankenChickens suffer painful lameness, cardiovascular disease, skin burns, and premature death. Research suggests as many as one third have poor walking ability as a result of their genetics.
Open Cages and many other animal protection charities are campaigning for companies to stop using these animals by stopping the sale of FrankenChicken.
Morrisons is still yet to do so.
M&S recently made headlines by announcing it will stop selling FrankenChickens in all fresh produce by Autumn 2022. Waitrose and KFC are among the 240 companies across Europe to pledge to stop selling them by 2026.
Join us in demanding action from Morrisons! Go to morrisonsmisery.com to contact Morrisons today.