, were rejected because of diseases and defects at slaughterhouses in England and Wales over a three-year period – approximately 35,000 every day.
The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs argues that it has no policy that condones or permits the use of fast-growing chickens. However, the Humane League says they are the industry standard, constituting about 90% of the more than 1bn meat chickens slaughtered each year in the UK. It was twice refused permission for a judicial review against Defra before Lord Justice Singh, at the court of appeal, said a full hearing would be in the public interest., said: “Not only is it clear that the law prohibits the farming of animals prone to suffering; combine this with a monitoring system which is inadequate to protect animals from extreme suffering, and we see a system which is as broken as it is unlawful.
The case also argues that the trigger system, requiring vets at abattoirs to report problems, sets too high a threshold and that there is unequal treatment of chicken producers that comply with the law, incurring extra expense, compared with those who do not. Claire Williams, campaigns manager at the Humane League, said the court hearing was a milestone and that the charity “will strongly make the case that keeping these birds is wholly unlawful”.Archie Bland and Nimo Omer take you through the top stories and what they mean, free every weekday morningNewsletters may contain info about charities, online ads, and content funded by outside parties.