Johannesburg High Court orders Daybreak Foods to address animal welfare issues
The Johannesburg High Court has issued a final order against state-owned poultry producer Daybreak Foods
Image: NSPCA
The Johannesburg High Court has issued a final order against state-owned poultry producer Daybreak Foods, following legal action by the National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) over allegations of animal cruelty.
The ruling, handed down on Friday, compels the poultry producer to implement a series of measures aimed at addressing animal welfare concerns at its Limpopo facilities.
IOL previously reported that urgent inspections conducted by the NSPCA at Daybreak Farms revealed severely neglected poultry, leading to the culling of thousands of birds.
The court rejected Daybreak's claim that a R74 million cash injection from the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) had resolved the crisis.
“The urgency was necessitated by the collapse of [Daybreak’s] responsibility to appropriately care for the chickens in their possession and under their control,” the court said, adding that the management of Daybreak “has collapsed and there was financial mismanagement of the available funds”.
The court order requires Daybreak to:
- Immediately cease all inhumane culling practices;
- Provide all birds across its operations with adequate and appropriate feed until humane processing can occur;
- Suspend all breeding and placement of day-old chicks until proper nutrition is ensured, subject to the NSPCA’s satisfaction or mutual agreement;
- Submit a detailed plan to the NSPCA within five working days outlining how it intends to resolve the crisis humanely;
- Allow the NSPCA access to all its premises; and
- Pay the NSPCA’s legal costs – jointly with the PIC.
In a statement issued to the media on Friday, the NSPCA said it will continue to closely monitor Daybreak’s compliance with the court order.
"We will remain vigilant in ensuring Daybreak’s full compliance with the Court’s order and will continue to monitor the situation closely," the NSPCA said.
mthobisi.nozulela@iol.co.za
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