This Is Guernsey

By Joel de Woolfson

THOUSANDS of chickens are being culled at Castel Farm Eggs over the next two weeks, it has been confirmed.

The business closed at the start of this week and recalled all its eggs from supermarket shelves after there were concerns over quality because mice had got into the temporary packing shed at the farm.

Owner Martin Freeman, whose sale of the business will go through in September, confirmed that the 16,000 chickens would be culled.

It was believed that this would happen in England but Andrew Casebow, the States agricultural and environment adviser, confirmed the process had started this week.

‘The reason they are not going to England is for animal welfare concerns,’ he said.

‘Birds should not be caged up and then sent on a boat on a long journey to be slaughtered and that’s why we are doing it here.’

They are being culled over a two-week period because there isn’t the manpower to do it in one go.

‘It takes time because it’s a long and arduous job for the men who do the killing,’ Mr Casebow said.

‘It would take them four days’ solid work: it’s exhausting. The way they are doing it is the normal course of events.’

The island has one qualified slaughterman whose duty it is to cull all cattle, sheep, horses and goats.

But chickens to not come under that umbrella, Mr Casebow added.

He said it would have taken 13 hours to transport the chickens to a pet food factory in England and that was considered cruel.

‘This was thought to be the most humane way of doing it and it is the normal way as well,’ he said.

Animal Aid founder Sue Vidamour said she could have found homes for up to 200 of the chickens had she been asked.

‘I’m against killing unnecessarily,’ she said.

‘They are dying unnecessarily.

‘I know I could not have saved them all but I could have found people who would take some of them.

‘It is sad that they are being culled but I would rather see them dead than living in a cramped barn where they never see the light of day.’

Article posted on 5th July, 2008 - 9.29am