DISASTER AS OVER 27,000 CHICKENS BAKED TO DEATH IN NOTTINGHAMSHIRE FARM COMPUTER MALFUNCTION
More than 27,000 chickens died at a farm in Nottinghamshire in a ventilation failure, described by a judge as a 'disaster', which caused the birds to overheat and bake to death.The company managing the poultry farm in Colston Bassett has been fined £44,000.
Leicestershire County Council's Trading Standards Service prosecuted Hudson & Sanders Limited over the deaths caused by a computer malfunction in a broiler shed ventilation system.
The company pleaded guilty to four charges under the Animal Welfare Act 2006.
The incident occurred at Hose Lodge Farm when, on May 26, 2020, the systems that regulated air flow, vital for the welfare of the chickens, failed.
At the time, the farm manager was on leave but still lived on site, and the relief manager had left the site.
By the time staff could enter, 27,249 chickens had died.
The court also noted that staff were not sufficiently trained and that a prior concern had been raised by an Animal and Plant Health Agency vet in November 2019.
District Judge Nick Watson described the incident as ‘a disaster’ and fined the company £44,000 and ordered it to pay £12,634.83 in legal costs.
In mitigation, the company's representatives expressed regret, stating that Hudson & Sanders Limited had no previous convictions for animal welfare offences and maintained a good reputation in the industry.
After the hearing, Gary Connors from the county council stated that the incident was rare but highlights the importance of adequate staffing and procedures in this sector.
