Investigators have accused a Norfolk turkey farm of risking the spread of bird flu with improper disposal of dead animals.
Undercover activists from Generation Vegan, known as GenV, visited a turkey farm owned by Bernard Matthews Foods. The company has more than 50 farms across the UK, rearing nearly seven million turkeys every year.
Bernard Matthews turkey farm
As part of the recent investigation, activists filmed farm workers discarding “culled” birds affected by the current outbreak of avian flu.
The footage shows workers scooping up thousands of dead birds with machinery and putting their bodies into large disposal bins.
Investigators claim that biosecurity measures were weak, and that dead birds were dropped on the ground. One worker was allegedly seen kicking the corpses into a bucket.
The activists also say they saw feathers flying away in the wind, which could spread bird flu elsewhere.
In an avian flu webinar, the Department for Agriculture and Rural Affairs stated: “The virus can be transmitted directly between birds or indirectly by birds coming into contact with environmental contamination, including faeces and feathers from infected birds.”
Government regulations state that vehicles used for transportation must be “leakproof and covered.” The collection vehicle also shouldn’t pass over a surface that “could possibly be contaminated with mud, slurry, poultry faeces, excretions, feathers, litter, eggshell or other similar matter liable to transmit disease.”