The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) has raised urgent concerns over Daybreak Farms’ plan to introduce 89,000 breeder chicks this month, warning that the company’s precarious finances and record of welfare violations make the move reckless and unsustainable.

Daybreak, currently in voluntary business rescue, intends to place 44,500 day-old breeder birds this week and another 44,500 later in September.

The NSPCA has withheld its consent, saying Daybreak has repeatedly failed to provide documentary proof of funding or contingency planning.

“Without the financial confirmation, placing these 89,000 additional birds under these conditions is reckless, irresponsible, and may result in further suffering,” said senior inspector Nazareth Appalsamy, manager of the NSPCA’s Farm Animal Protection Unit. “The NSPCA cannot provide the consent sought in the absence of transparency. Should Daybreak proceed, it does so at its own risk, and those responsible may be held accountable.”

The NSPCA, together with local SPCAs, has been conducting continuous inspections at Daybreak facilities and says the company has consistently failed to meet even basic welfare obligations.

Among the findings:

• On 8 August, inspectors recorded more than 400 bird deaths in a single week at the Dieputten site. Daybreak’s acting head of Agriculture, veterinarian Dr Chrissie Makwiti, attributed the losses to “secondary infections.”
• On 11 August, business rescue practitioners informed the NSPCA of a plan to place 39,000 chicks. Inspectors later discovered an additional 5,317 birds placed without disclosure. When challenged, Daybreak argued the NSPCA should have known, describing them as “free of charge.”
• On 1 September, inspectors confirmed 787 bird deaths in a week at another site, reportedly due to water shortages. When pressed on why compromised animals were left to linger in suffering, Daybreak’s veterinarian disputed the NSPCA’s definition of “compromised.”

These inspections, the NSPCA says, are part of a longstanding pattern.

Earlier this year, the Gauteng High Court ruled against Daybreak, finding its assurances of funding and vague undertakings “neither feasible nor legitimate.”

While Daybreak has claimed it can sustain feed supplies for six months, the NSPCA says there is no clarity on what happens beyond that period.

“Any placement leading to animal neglect or abuse would be in contravention of the court order,” the NSPCA warned.

“Should this occur, the NSPCA will be compelled to initiate further legal proceedings without delay.”

The dispute comes against the backdrop of an even larger crisis.

In June, the NSPCA laid criminal charges against Daybreak’s board of directors after uncovering what it described as a large-scale animal welfare disaster that drew global outrage. More than one million birds were subjected to extreme neglect, resulting in widespread suffering and death.

Following extensive investigations, the NSPCA spokesperson Jacques Peacock said it had evidence of “gross negligence, systemic mismanagement, and a complete abdication of responsibility” by Daybreak’s leadership.

These failures, he said, were not only inhumane but criminal, prompting the organisation to work with the South African Police Service and the National Prosecuting Authority to pursue justice.

“The law compels us to value every single animal individually,” said Peacock.

“To witness the suffering of one animal multiplied by a million is not just a disaster – it’s a grave and morally reprehensible failure.”

Images and testimony from the sites revealed birds in excruciating pain from cannibalising each other, some with gaping wounds, others too weak to move – scenes that the NSPCA says “remain etched into the hearts of people all over the world.”

On 23 May 2025, the Gauteng High Court in Johannesburg confirmed an interim order against Daybreak, making it final.

In its ruling, the court stated: “The urgency was necessitated by the collapse of Daybreak’s responsibility to appropriately care for the chickens in their possession and under their control,” and criticised “financial mismanagement of the available funds” by the company’s leadership.

The order compels Daybreak to halt chick placements until the NSPCA is satisfied that conditions are adequate, cease inhumane culling, ensure proper nutrition, allow full NSPCA access to facilities, provide a detailed resolution plan, and cover the NSPCA’s legal costs.

mandilakhe.tshwete@inl.co.za 

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