Media Release

19 December 2003 Bernard Matthews' turkey suffering exposed for third year in a row Welfare group condemns "pathetic" legal standards which prevent prosecution Campaigning animal group Viva! has secretly filmed inside Bernard Matthews' turkey sheds for the third Christmas in a row and found the worst conditions of overcrowding yet documented there. Footage obtained by Viva! over the last three weeks also shows lame and injured birds as well as piles of dead birds, apparently suffering from skin and foot damage caused by conditions within the sheds. The group claimed that these consistently poor standards are due to a combination of corporate avarice and the almost total absence of legal protection for turkeys in the UK. Bernard Matthews' sites at Langham, Breckles, Hockering, Swannington and Felthorpe were filmed between 23rd November and 8th December. Footage shows dense overcrowding, with thousands of birds packed together as far as the camera light can reveal. Birds are shown pecking one another and one has a bleeding wound on its neck. Litter is, in most sheds, sodden and the investigator - who is experienced with poultry - can be heard commenting on the powerful stench of ammonia within the sheds. In previous years, Viva! has found dead birds within the sheds - this year the clean-up operation appears more efficient and open bins full of dead birds were filmed outside the sheds. The dead birds show evidence of feathers burnt by ammonia-sodden litter and foot injuries. Some corpses in the (illegally) open bins appear to have been eaten by rats or foxes. The footage also includes a visitor log recording a visit from the RSPCA. Virtually no legal welfare regulations apply specifically to turkeys, their welfare supposedly being assured by a Government code which has no direct legal force. The poultry industry routinely overstocks turkeys by double the recommended amount. Previous Viva! investigations have led to no legal action despite clear evidence of suffering and verbal condemnation by the RSPCA. The RSPCA have described current legislation covering factory-farmed poultry as "woefully inadequate". Viva! campaigner Alistair Currie says "Every year we go into Bernard Matthews and every year we find the same images of suffering, death, and ruthless exploitation: we have established now that this is the tragic reality of turkey farming in the 21st Century. This year's are the worst scenes of overcrowding we have ever filmed, the birds jam-packed together in their thousands. It looks like Bernard Matthews' are making an effort to clean out the dead more efficiently than in previous years but that's little more than a cosmetic change. The real tragedy is that they know they can get away with this because the legal protection for turkey welfare is abysmal. The Government, the producers and the retailers are all washing their hands: only consumers have the power to stop this abuse - by boycotting this business entirely and having a vegetarian Christmas." Contact Alistair Currie or Juliet Gellatley on 0117 944 1000. Notes for Editors Mini DV and VHS footage and jpeg images are available from Viva! of this investigation. Images and video from previous years are also available. GPS readings and video of company notices and paperwork are used throughout the video to prove location. All units were entered without causing criminal damage and biosecurity precautions were observed. Correspondence with the RSPCA on the subject of turkey legislation is available from Viva!. The conditions exposed by Viva!'s investigation in 2002 were described on GMTV by Martin Potter, the head of the RSPCA's Farmed Animals Division, as "disgraceful" and "appalling".