council wankers are downplaying the illegal dump today. cant upset the industry that would be wrong . .

Rotting birds 'no big issue'
By CAITLIN McKAY - Manawatu Standard | Wednesday, 4 April 2007
Horizons Regional Council says 150 dumped chickens in an open air pit at a Foxton poultry farm is a "storm in a teacup".

Poultry farm owner Dirk Holtslag told the Manawatu Standard a new covered, concrete, offal pit is arriving from Auckland today.

This comes after animal activists found an open pit containing more than 100 rotting chicken carcasses on Sunday.

The poultry farm has 76,000 broiler birds, or birds bred for their meat.

A closed offal pit is a requirement for those with livestock.

It must be 20m from any watercourse.

Mr Holtslag said he was surprised to get a visit from Horizons this week.

"I've been digging pits for over 20 years and (with regular inspections) no one has told me any differently."

He said he regularly covers the pits of dead birds, at the back of his property, with lime at the end of each broiler bird cycle (six to eight weeks) before digging another pit.

Animal rights activists found the dead broiler chickens, covered in maggots and flies, dumped with other rubbish among trees near the back of Mr Holtslag's property on Bergin Road.

Open Rescue Collective activist Mark Eden told the Manawatu Standard that the group had "gone looking" for evidence of animal cruelty.

Mr Eden said many carcasses were torn apart and had been partially eaten by predators.

Other corpses were maggot- infested.

Mr Holtslag said all the birds had died a natural death.

Mr Eden alleged a live chicken was also discovered injured among the corpses.

"It was thrown alive into the pit and left to die."

The bird had crippled legs, was unable to stand or walk, and needed immediate veterinary attention.

Mr Holtslag said he's "never" thrown a live bird on the pit.

"Occasionally, a bird may get out of the shed and roam around."

Mr Eden lodged a complaint with Horizons and MAF.

Horizons compliance officer Greg Bevin said he could find no evidence of live animals in the pit.

"It (the pit) just smelt like dead animals."

The open pit was in breach of regulations, Mr Bevin said.

However, Horizons was happy an assurance had been given to replace the pit.

"I don't think anything untoward has been going on at the property."

Poultry Industry Association executive director Michael Brooks said, after viewing the pictures, that an open pit was in "clear breach" of industry standards.

"This is unacceptable and not common.

"It's illegal practice and any pit should be covered immediately.

"I will be finding out why this has happened."

yeah, the chicken walked out of a locked door, wandered thru a fence, over a paddock, through some trees and into a pit, despite not being able to stand up. yeah right.