PROPERTY SEARCH
PROPERTY SEARCH
Watch the disturbing new footage from a Mallorca chicken farm that shows worsening conditions
Animal rights groups say new images reveal a pattern of systemic abuse and renewed health concerns
New images captured inside a poultry farm in Llucmajor, Mallorca have reignited calls for its immediate closure, with animal rights groups warning of worsening hygiene, diseased hens and potentially dangerous eggs. The latest footage, was released this week by activists from the organisation Animal Rights for the Defence of the Environment (ARDE), a Spanish organisation that campaigns for animal welfare and environmental protection, and Satya Animal, who claim the evidence reveals “a pattern of systematic violence” at the Son Perot farm.
The scenes inside buildings 2 and 5 show sick, featherless hens crowded into cages alongside rotting carcasses, some freshly dead, others clearly decomposing. Walls and vents are coated in a thick layer of cobwebs, dust and feathers, while eggs are seen rolling across visibly dirty belts. According to veterinarian María González Sola, many of the hens show pale combs and skin, and their feather loss is consistent with stress, overcrowding and poor nutrition. Some birds were reportedly crawling with mites and other parasites that weaken the immune system and can spread disease.
Activists also raised alarms over misshapen and wrinkled eggs, which González Sola believes could point to malnutrition or an outbreak of avian infectious bronchitis, both of which can affect the hens’ uterus. Despite these concerns, only one of the site’s seven buildings has been shut so far, and campaigners say that is not enough.
“Closing the farm is the only solution that prioritises the protection of animals, as well as the health of the public and residents,” said ARDE spokesperson Julia Elizalde. “The measures adopted so far are clearly insufficient.”
The farm, one of the largest in the Balearic Islands, has already been reported to the Prosecutor’s Office for alleged crimes relating to public health, animal abuse and fraud. The company is also under investigation for misleadingly selling eggs as free-range, even though activists say the hens were kept inside for at least six days at a time, violating EU welfare standards. European law requires laying hens to have constant outdoor access to be classed as free-range.
Meanwhile, residents living near the farm have reported ongoing infestations of flies and foul smells, while containers of decomposing animal remains have been seen near the site.
Following the initial release of footage in late May, the Balearic government carried out an eight-hour inspection and filed seven serious infractions. One building was closed and the case was referred to Palma’s Investigative Court No. 11.Authorities also detected non-zoonotic salmonella at the Llucmajor site and, in a separate facility owned by the same company in Manacor, confirmed a case of Salmonella Enteritidis, a strain that can be transmitted to humans.
A public petition to close the farm permanently is now being promoted by ARDE. It can be found here, for anyone interested in signing.
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