136,000 hens die after break-in

Broiling hens are kept in a completely enclosed environment

About 136,000 hens died after their air supply was cut off during break-in at a poultry farm near Edinburgh.

Police said the ventilation to 12 poultry sheds was turned off, which led to the birds suffocating.

The incident happened at the Beechgrove Farm near Balerno in August, but details have only just been released.

Animal charity the Scottish SPCA said the hens would have suffered a "slow death" filled with "fear and pain". The farm is owned by Vion Food Group.

A police spokesman said 12 sheds containing live chickens were broken into and the environmental controls tampered with, causing the deaths of approximately 136,000 birds.

This is a dreadful incident and the scale of suffering is simply immense Ross Minett Advocates for Animals

Officers do not believe the crime is the work of animal rights activists.

Ross Minett, campaigns director with Advocates for Animals, said he was not aware of any targeted action against local farms or the Vion Food Group as a whole.

Mr Minett said: "This is a dreadful incident and the scale of suffering is simply immense.

"It's hard to imagine why anyone would deliberately cause tens of thousands of birds to die an awful death from overheating and asphyxiation.

"Unfortunately, intensively-grown chickens crowded together in huge factories are terribly vulnerable to any interference with environmental controls, whether deliberately or by accident."

Farming experts said that the size and population of the sheds indicated that they were likely to be broiling chickens, normally packaged for consumption as roast chicken.

'Extremely callous'

The birds were thought to be worth about £400,000 in total.

Group communications officer at Vion Food Group, Rob Smith, said: "I can confirm that on the night of 17-18 August there was a break-in at Beechgrove Farm.

"Nothing was stolen, but the action of the culprits resulted in a high number of bird fatalities.

"A police investigation is presently under way and we are co-operating with their inquiries."

Scottish SPCA chief superintendent Mike Flynn said: "This was either an extremely callous or thoughtless act that has resulted in thousands of animals suffering what must have been a very uncomfortable and slow death filled with pain and fear.

"Whoever is responsible for this clearly showed no consideration for the welfare of the birds. Anyone with any information should contact the police."