Sick Bernard Matthews
worker smashes live turkeys with 5ft wooden pole in a sadistic game of rounders . . .
By Jeremy Armstrong of the Daily Mirror
TURKEYS at a Bernard Matthews farm were thrown in the air and battered with
a pole in scenes of "appalling cruelty" filmed by undercover
investigators.
These shocking images show workers pretending to play rounders
with live birds as they collect them for slaughter.
In a sequence of sickening shots, taken in the early hours in a giant shed at
Beck Farm, Haveringland,
Dressed in overalls and a T-shirt, the man is then heard shouting to his colleague:
"You throw them up and I will hit them."
The footage then shows him removing a device used to give water to the birds,
known as a drinker, to leave himself a 5ft broom
handle.
Laughing and giggling, he lines himself up ready in the middle of the shed as
his colleague starts to throw birds in the air.
He is heard shouting in delight as he hits the first one on the head
with the broom handle.
Three turkeys are seen flying through the air in the footage, each one battered
to the head and neck as it spreads its wings in distress.
Then, as the birds land, the worker is heard laughing again as he hits them
with the handle and kicks them around as they try to escape.
The footage was taken by an undercover investigator from Hillside Animal
Sanctuary in Frettenham,
The workers, known as catchers, do night shifts getting the turkeys ready to be
transported to other sites.
There they are turned into various Matthews' products - including the infamous
Turkey Twizzlers slated by TV chef Jamie Oliver in
his crusade for healthier children's food.
The investigator, a 50-year-old cameraman who has worked extensively for the
BBC, Channel 4 and newspapers over the past nine years, said: "This is by
far the worst cruelty that I have witnessed. When he hit the birds it made a
terrible sound. It was sickening."
It is not the first time alleged cruelty has been exposed at a farm run by
Bernard Matthews, famed for his catchphrase "Bootiful,
really bootiful".
Six years ago, turkeys in one of the giant sheds were found
lying dead by undercover investigators while others had festering wounds.
Hundreds of turkeys were seen milling around rotten carcasses. Shocking images
showed the live birds occasionally pecking at the bodies of the dead ones.
At the time the company stated: "We answer to the highest levels of
officialdom who inspect everything we do." And an
independent vet who later inspected the site confirmed there was no
"significant" welfare or husbandry problem.
Wendy Valentine, of
Investigators returned to the shed in the early hours of yesterday. The
cameraman claimed: "We found blood where the birds had been." They
also allege they found a broom handle with blood on the shaft.
And in daylight, they could also see a sign on a wall which warned workers:
"Any employee who abuses turkeys will be subject to instant dismissal.
B.T. Matthews, Chairman."
Wendy added: "These shocking, appalling images show acts of dreadful
cruelty. These men are taking great pleasure in this sadistic practice. You can
clearly see what they are doing, and hear them laughing and joking about
it."
In a statement last night, Bernard Matthews Ltd said: "We cannot comment
on allegations without having seen any evidence. The welfare of our birds is of
paramount importance to us.
"Any person found to have compromised our high standards of bird welfare
would be liable to disciplinary proceedings which could lead to dismissal."
Five Bernard Matthews workers filmed hitting live turkeys with a pole could
face animal cruelty charges by the end of the week.
The nightshift staff at the firm's farm in Haveringland, near
Bernard Matthews is co-operating fully with the RSPCA investigation and has
said the men involved are likely to be dismissed and prosecuted. If found
guilty of causing unnecessary suffering to an animal they face up to six months
in prison and a £5,000 fine.
Undercover investigators from the Frettenham-based
Hillside Animal Sanctuary took footage of the men laughing as they played a
game of "rounders" with live birds, hitting
them across the room before kicking them.
RSPCA spokesman Sophie Wilkinson said: "If it turns out that what is shown
in the footage is correct we will take it very seriously and put it forward for
prosecution."
She said the charity could press charges by the end of this week.
A Bernard Matthews spokesman said the company was disgusted by the film and was
reviewing its procedures.
"We are horrified by the contents of this filming and condemn such cruelty
unreservedly," he said. "The company has today met representatives
from the RSPCA, trading standards and the state veterinary services and is
assisting them fully in pursuing prosecutions of the perpetrators.
"In this business we are committed to the highest standards of animal
welfare. We recognise that our systems have failed in
this instance and we are carrying out an immediate and thorough review. "We will take whatever steps are
necessary to ensure such maltreatment d
does not happen again."
Message from Wendy Valentine of
Dear Supporter,
Further to this morning's e-mail, we have received tremendous response from the
media in general. Further coverage is scheduled to appear today on Sky News and
our local BBC Look East and Anglia News.
The footage can now also be seen on our website http://www.hillside.org.uk
Thank you for your interest.
Wendy.