“They never have access to the outside, they never see the light of day”, denounces L-214, in a press release. On Wednesday, the animal defense association unveiled an investigation into the “extreme” living conditions of more than 6,200 rabbits in an intensive farm in Noordpeene, in the North.
Videos and photos show in particular newborns, dead or dying, as well as a rabbit with a necrotic leg, stuck between the bars of the cage. Contacted by 20 minutes to react to these shocking images, the breeder did not follow up. According to L-214, the rabbits, raised and locked up night and day in cages, are then taken to the slaughterhouse in Vaudringhem, in Pas-de-Calais. Subsequently, the animals are marketed by the Lapins d’Artois company, in Lillers, which produces the Lapin du Ch’ti brand, sold in Auchan supermarkets.
A complaint filed against the farm
In response to this investigation, Auchan admitted to working with northern breeding. “In view of the situation presented to us by the L-214 association, we have decided to disengage from this breeding today, and to open an internal investigation”, replied the northern group in a press release. . L-214 has also launched a petition to have Auchan remove all intensive farms from its list of suppliers. the text has already collected more than 30,000 signatures.
In addition, L-214 has announced that it is filing a complaint for ill-treatment with the Dunkirk court against the Noordpeene breeding. The association also takes the opportunity to question the European Commission about “the massive use of antibiotics” since its investigation reveals that the farm uses eight antibiotics classified as “critical importance” by the World Health Organization (WHO). ).