A “hell for hens” has been uncovered at a Shropshire-based egg farm, undercover footage has revealed.
An investigation from animal welfare charity Viva, first reported by the Metro, included footage of “filthy, barren cages stacked seven high” at Heal Farms in Shropshire.
Viva said its footage, filmed in May 2023 and December 2025 at the Hazeldene site, documented hens experiencing feather loss, overgrown claws and deformed beaks.
The charity said that space was so confined that one hen was found dead and being pecked by others, which can lead to cannibalism and “raises serious concerns about disease transmission risks”.
Investigators also found that birds were forced to walk across bare wire, which can cause painful foot conditions.
“What we witnessed at Heal Farms was nothing short of hell for hens: row after row of birds crammed into metal cages, denied freedom, peace and everything that makes life worth living,” said Juliet Gellatley, the charity’s founder and director.
“Even worse is the fact that over seven million caged hens across the UK are still trapped in those same miserable conditions,” the campaigner continued. “So-called ‘enriched’ cages are just cruelty rebranded – the egg industry simply swapped one form of hell for another.”
Gellatley added: “We wouldn’t dream of forcing our dogs and cats to live a life of such unnatural deprivation, so it’s heartbreaking that this continues to be the miserable reality for millions of these beautiful, intelligent animals.”
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Viva released its investigation as part of a call for people to submit comments to the government’s public consultation on the phasing out of caged systems for laying hens by 2032. The consultation closes at 11.59pm on 9 March.
The charity has argued that the 2032 blanket ban is too far away and has urged the government to bring this timeline forward.
“While the government’s intention to phase out cages is obviously good news, we feel it’s imperative to ensure that a ban is enforced on the shortest possible timescale,” Gellatley said. “Given that most hens are gassed to death at approximately 18 months of age and new birds are brought in to replace them, the proposed 2032 date still condemns tens of millions more hens to unnatural, unhappy lives spent crammed inside filthy cages.”
She added: ”If countries like Austria and Luxembourg have already banned cages, surely we can bring forward the proposed dates and live up to our reputation as a nation of animal lovers.”
The release of the investigation marks the start of Viva’s Cracked campaign, which will span public outreach events, celebrity and influencer partnerships and social media content in the run-up to Easter. The campaign will raise awareness of commercial egg farming.
Heal Farms was approached for comment.
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