The Humane League UK has released its first UK investigation, exposing the suffering of fast-growing “Frankenchickens” on British farms supplying major supermarkets. TRACKS supported the organisation throughout the process, providing investigative guidance, research and undercover fieldwork.
For me, this work has a particular significance. I first investigated a broiler chicken farm 38 years ago. Being able to draw on that experience to help another organisation use investigations in its campaigning is an important part of why TRACKS exists.
Behind the footage lies careful preparation: identifying farms, planning fieldwork, documenting conditions and checking the information needed to support the findings. Our role was to help The Humane League UK navigate that process and provide evidence for its campaign.
Inside the sheds, investigators filmed chickens struggling to walk or unable to stand, painful skin burns and dead birds lying among the living. At one farm, the team filmed tiny chicks at three days old, returning just over a month later to document severe lameness and other welfare problems as the birds approached slaughter weight.
Released in November, the footage challenges supermarket claims that these chickens are “higher welfare”, “happier” and “healthier”. The Humane League UK is using the evidence to call on supermarkets and other food companies to move to slower-growing breeds.
Helping organisations bring investigations into their campaigning means that TRACKS’ experience can reach further. This collaboration puts that into practice, giving The Humane League UK evidence to confront supermarket welfare claims and press for change.
Watch The Humane League UK’s investigation film.
Gemunu de Silva, Founder and Executive Director, TRACKS Investigations