In a shocking turn of events, over 350,000 chickens have been culled, and more than 500,000 have been transferred to rearing farms after a week of intervention from the National Council of Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (NSPCA) at Daybreak Chicken Broiler Farm, located in Delmas, Mpumalanga. This intervention highlights severe animal welfare issues within the facility.
Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy, who manages special investigations at the NSPCA, revealed that the numbers represent only a fraction of the grim realities observed at Daybreak and its interconnected network of contract growers. These growers depend entirely on Daybreak for feed supplies. “Thousands of birds have perished due to a combination of starvation, cannibalism, and neglect. The foul odor permeating the air was a result of decomposing animals mixed with severely malnourished chickens. In one particularly distressing case, we discovered that 42-day-old broilers weighed a mere 500 grams, instead of the typical 1.8 kilograms expected for birds ready to be sent to the abattoir,” Appalsamy stated with evident concern.
Appalsamy explained that at the beginning of May, Daybreak informed the NSPCA that they were unable to provide adequate feed for their broiler birds, granting the NSPCA access to manage the birds’ welfare. “Initially, we believed only two farms were affected, but as we investigated further, it became apparent that the crisis extended to additional farms, each facing dire situations. To date, we have executed culling operations on seven different sites,” he noted.
The crisis was further exacerbated when Veterinary Public Health officials suspended operations at Daybreak’s slaughterhouse. The birds had reached the age for processing but failed to meet the necessary weight requirements, effectively leaving the farm in a precarious position without an outlet for the broilers.
Appalsamy also highlighted the plight of the workers on the various farms, many of whom have gone without pay for extended periods, some for over a month. In a recent development, Daybreak has temporarily closed its head office and ceased broiler farming operations altogether, continuing only with its breeder operations for the time being. “The workers have expressed appreciation for our efforts to alleviate the suffering of these animals, but this situation could have been mitigated if we had been notified sooner, allowing us to act as soon as the company realized that they were short on feed. The NSPCA had already reported similar abuses at Daybreak’s broiler sites back in February, which prompted several of their contract growers to halt production,” he explained.
Izaak Breitenbach, CEO of the South African Poultry Association (SAPA), indicated that Daybreak had not fulfilled its SAPA membership dues at the end of the previous year and is consequently undergoing removal from the association. “SAPA members follow stringent animal welfare, food safety, and social responsibility codes, and we take a clear stance distancing ourselves from the unfolding situation at Daybreak,” he asserted.
Breitenbach elaborated that Daybreak was initially a profitable enterprise when the Public Investment Corporation (PIC) provided funding for the purchase of a subsidiary of Afgri, renamed Daybreak Farms, to benefit the AFPO Consortium, a black economic empowerment group, in 2015. However, subsequent financial difficulties began to plague the business. Reports suggest that last year, Daybreak failed to repay a staggering R42 million to its largest poultry contract grower and defaulted on a substantial emergency loan from Shoprite.
In early 2025, PIC rejected a request for a multi-million rand bailout, which subsequently led to the resignation of several key executives, including CEO Richard Manzini. Breitenbach noted that various media sources have incorrectly attributed Daybreak’s decline to a lack of vertical integration within the supply chain. “This assertion is misleading. Daybreak does produce its own feed, day-old chicks, and broiler birds while also operating its own abattoir, which means they should have been able to identify and address issues far sooner,” he clarified.
He further argued that external challenges such as rising production costs, load shedding, avian influenza outbreaks, and competition from imported poultry cannot solely account for the failures at Daybreak, as other industry players contend with these same pressures. “Many other entities in the sector also encountered similar hardships but managed to uphold their standards, contrary to the situation at Daybreak,” he explained.
In conclusion, Breitenbach reassured that Daybreak’s ongoing troubles should not result in adverse effects on market prices. “Production at Daybreak has been declining gradually over time, and other producers are stepping in to fill the void left by them, ensuring a stable supply within the market,” he stated.
