I got a text from my 22-year-old niece last night saying she had just seen "an awful thing on the news" about the happy egg co. Arriving in the office this morning I went straight onto the Sky News website, and then on to the Viva website, to see what all the fuss was about. And I have to admit, it does not make for pretty viewing. I have been into quite a few intensive and less intensive units in my time, and fully understand why we have such egg production systems. But the contrast between the image portrayed by the happy egg co advertising and that portrayed in the Viva footage was undeniably stark.
On reflection, however, I reckon the most serious issue was the admission that a live wire was used to keep the birds off the feeders - as this was against the Freedom Foods rules. The fact that the dust baths were waterlogged and there was mud around the range was hardly suprising given the summer we've just had. Had Viva taken their cameras there on a dry, sunny day, then there is little doubt that most of the birds would have been outside on the range, enjoying their surroundings. Having said that, there was a high degree of feather loss in the birds, though I have since discovered that the flock was 71 weeks old and some were suffering from eryfipelas - an acute septicemia.
Quite where this goes next remains to be seen. The farms in question have been temporarily suspended from the Freedom Food scheme, but are likley to be reinstated before too long. That's unlikely to be the end of it, however. I couldn't help but notice a final warning at the end of the Viva statement in which they promised further "exposes" on hatcheries and enriched cages, and said they will be mounting a "major campaign to take our findings to the public in the run up to Easter". Watch this space...