2023-08-10 03:48:47
The images are unique and striking. In a new sequence broadcast this Thursday, August 10, the animal defense association L214 intends to lift the veil on the breeding conditions of breeding guinea fowls. This is the first time that a video on this mainly French sector has been revealed.
According to L214, the images were shot in an establishment in Maine-et-Loire, one of four guinea fowl hatcheries in mainland France. For more than two minutes, the video shows some 4,000 guinea fowl crammed into cramped cages and lined up in a shed with no natural light. We see birds injured and left without care. Some are left on the ground, lifeless.
In a press release, L214 announces that it is filing a complaint against the hatchery, with the prosecutor of the Angers court, for “acts of ill-treatment committed on animals by a livestock professional”. According to the association, the establishment is linked to the LDC group, the leader in poultry meat in France, known for its brands Maître Coq, Le Gaulois and also Marie. Having not yet seen the video, LDC did not wish to answer our questions.
“We do not back down from any cruelty”
In breeding, breeding guinea fowls are artificially inseminated to produce fertilized eggs. Then hatched in a separate building, the keets are raised to be eaten. Far from being the most consumed meat in France, guinea fowl is a lucrative market for the country which is the leading exporter: 85% of European guinea fowl are produced in France, Italy and Poland share the most of the remaining 15%.
Although the guinea fowl intended for consumption are raised on the ground, the images of L214 reveal that the breeding hens are, for their part, locked in wire cages. According to some veterinarians, these shelters are necessary to protect the guinea fowl from disease and thus promote reproduction.
“We do not back down from any cruelty. Locked up to four per cage, the birds are unable to perch. We put their basic needs after production,” indignant Léo Le Ster, agri-food campaign manager for L214.
A petition for the end of cage farming
In France and in Europe, many species are affected by cage farming such as laying hens, quails, sows, calves, rabbits and, therefore, breeding guinea fowls. In 2018, a citizens’ initiative called for the abolition of this method, which it considers to “cause great suffering in animals. After collecting 1.4 million signatures in 2021, it had obtained a favorable response from the European Commission, which undertook to present, by the end of 2023, a proposal aimed at phasing out cages in the countries of the EU. ‘Union.
However, according to L214, it is possible that certain sectors, such as that of breeding guinea fowl, are excluded. “There is a real blind spot on this species which is not mentioned in any regulations relating to poultry farming”, explains Léo Le Ster.
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