2 Sisters: West Bromwich poultry plant to investigate hygiene claims

The claims, involving the giant 2 Sisters Food Group, include older birds being dumped in with fresh stock but given the same sell-by dates.

It is also alleged that chickens had been thrown back on the production line after falling on the floor and that records of where the birds were slaughtered were also altered, making them difficult to trace.

It is claimed a quality assurance inspector was physically pushed aside when trying to stop a batch of chickens leaving the West Bromwich plant.

The company, which churns out six million chickens a week as part of an operation that produces a third of all the poultry products consumed in the country, sells its products in supermarkets.

The allegations, about plants at West Bromwich and Devon, were made following an undercover investigation by The Guardian and ITV television.

In a statement, 2 Sisters said it viewed the allegations ‘extremely seriously’.

It said: “We have not been given the time or the detailed evidence to conduct any thorough investigations to establish the facts, which makes a fulsome response very difficult.

“What we can confirm is that hygiene and food safety will always be the number one priority within the business, and they remain at its very core.

"We also successfully operate in one of the most tightly-controlled and highly regulated food sectors in the world.

"We are subject to multiple and frequent unannounced audits from the FSA, BRC, Red Tractor, independent auditors as well as our customers.

"By example, our facility in the West Midlands under investigation received nine audits (five unannounced) in the months of July and August alone.

“However, we are never complacent and remain committed to continually improving our processes and procedures.

"If, on presentation of further evidence, it comes to light any verifiable transgressions have been made at any of our sites, we will leave no stone unturned in investigating and remedying the situation immediately.”