Canadian Hatchery Workers Caught On Camera Abusing Newborn Chicks

An undercover investigation conducted by Mercy For Animals at a chicken hatchery in Canada owned by one of the nation's largest meat producers has brought to light a number of disturbing allegations about how animals raised for consumption are treated in the first moments of their short lives.

Hidden camera footage at an Ontario factory owned by Maple Leaf Foods captured workers sorting through hundreds of newly-hatched baby chicks. Male chicks, deemed undesirable, are seen being indelicately thrown and dropped into containers by their fragile wings, suffering injuries as a result.

These same chicks are later seen being dumped by the basketful into a mechanical macerator where they are ground up. When the machine becomes overloaded, hatchery workers use force to push the baby chicks into the grinding blades, a violation of accepted industry practice.

In another portion of the video, it's revealed that chicks occasionally are drowned and boiled alive after getting their feet caught in baskets being washing in scalding water. At one point, a factory worker says, "They boil! I have no sympathy for them anymore."

The footage was collected over the course of six weeks by an employee of Mercy for Animals who got a job on the factory floor. According to Canadian Broadcasting, workers are expected to process 1,750 chicks every hour at the expense of the animals' well-being.

Veterinarian Mary Richardson says the video shows that profits and efficiency taking precedent to humane treatment.

"I think the workers are showing such a lack of care and respect for the chicks. It's almost like they're widgets in a factory line," she told CBC Marketplace. "We owe it to animals to treat them humanely, and in this case it's clear that they are not being treated humanely or respectfully at all."

A representative from Maple Leaf Foods says that one factory worker has been suspended following the release of the footage and that the company intends to review procedures "to ensure that live chicks are removed safely at all times."

Mercy for Animals has launched a petition to combat animal cruelty at Maple Leaf-owned factories.

Click here to see the video.

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