'Close to the sheds, the smell is overpowering': inside a UK mega farm

Each shed here contains 42,000 chickens. The conditions are all in line with government regulations, but there are around 17 birds per square metreIn a valley in rural Herefordshire, near the village of Kington, four industrial sheds lie partly covered in trees, with an apple orchard on the approach. From the top of the hill there is no odour, but nearer to the sheds - 100m long by 20m wide, with 42,000 chickens in each - the sweetish, sickly smell is overpowering. The broiler chickens, grown for meat, are stocked at around 17 birds per square metre. Birds are packed as far as the eye can see within the buildings, making it impossible to see the floor.The chickens are trucked in as chicks, with just under a third "thinned" - removed from the sheds - to be slaughtered at just over four weeks old. The rest carry on to just over five weeks, when they weigh about 2.2kg. Eight crops of such chickens are reared each year, making 1.3m annually, with the sheds cleaned between every batch. Continue reading...