Right now, every donation is matched until 31st December or until we reach our goal of £145K. Don't miss out! DONATE NOW
News
Get the latest news and updates from Animal Equality

Breaking! Hens left to suffer and die in crowded metal cages for eggs sold in Tesco, Asda, Morrisons and One Stop

Today we have released our latest investigation which reveals scenes of severe animal suffering on a Dorset farm supplying ‘Big & Fresh’ eggs stocked by major UK retailers. Hidden camera footage reveals the caged hens were only checked-on once in four days by farm staff, a clear violation of welfare laws.
16/03/2018 Updated: 24/06/2019

Animal Equality investigators visited Walston Poultry Farm (East Down site), near Blandford Forum in Dorset, four times between January and March 2018 and found: ·      80,000 hens in each giant shed, all locked in ‘colony cages’ stacked seven tiers high ·      Many birds suffering from severe feather loss – some nearly bald – with red, raw skin ·      Dead birds left in cages with the living, some being cannibalised ·      Birds with visible wounds from being pecked by cage mates ·      Dead birds left lying on walkways next to cages with the living ·      Tubs holding dozens of dead birds left in the sheds overnight ·      Failure to inspect all birds daily, in violation of welfare regulations

  Around half a million birds are housed in eight windowless sheds on this site, laying around 140 million eggs a year for the UK’s largest egg producer – Noble Foods – which operates multiple brands including Big & Fresh (eggs from caged hens) and the free-range Happy Egg Company. Noble Foods is the subject of an ongoing campaign by The Humane League UK because it claims to put the welfare of its ‘girls’ first for Happy Eggs while simultaneously forcing 4.3m hens to suffer and die in cages for its Big & Fresh brand.

Take Action The best way to end the suffering of these hens is to leave eggs off your plate. Discover delicious egg-free foods and recipes at www.loveveg.uk You can also help end the use of these cruel cages by signing the petition demanding that Noble Foods goes cage-free across all of its brands.

  We have passed all of our footage, photographs and written evidence to Dorset Trading Standards which is charged with investigating on-farm welfare, as well as to the British Egg Industry Council which runs the Lion Code. Both have said they are investigating the farm.


Latest News
29/10/2024

Animal Equality is proud to sponsor the release of a new report by the Social Market Foundation (SMF), titled ‘Taking responsibility’, which investigates the systemic failures in the Government’s enforcement of farmed animal laws and provides a roadmap for a much-needed reform of the framework. Animals confined…
22/10/2024

The Provincial Court of Murcia in Spain has overturned a previous judgement of two pig farmers involved in Spain’s most significant factory farm abuse scandal, ordering a retrial with a new magistrate. The farmers were previously not convicted, despite clear evidence of animal abuse taking place under their watch, and…
05/11/2024

Members of Scottish Parliament pre-arranged a visit with major Scottish salmon producer, Scottish Sea Farms, as part of a formal Parliamentary inquiry. But footage obtained by Animal Equality UK raises serious questions about the company's commitment to honest representation of its practices. BBC One Scotland reports: