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.