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Helpless game birds are being reared in “abominable” battery-style cages in preparation for the annual shooting season.

Thousands of pairs of partridges on one farm are locked up in small barren boxes with metal sides.

Their only view is of either the sky or the ground.

They are imprisoned for months on end to lay eggs, which will hatch into the birds bred for the season that opens each September.

Disturbing images of the degradation have been released by campaigners Animal Aid.

The charity insists the photos show the real face of a bloodsport enjoyed by royalty and celebrities, including David Beckham and Madonna.

Investigators claim to have found dead birds at Heart of England Farms, in Warwickshire, alongside others that had sustained damaged beaks and feather loss.

Fiona Pereira, of Animal Aid, said: “There are tens of thousands of these breeding birds in industrial farms all across the country.

“They are being used to produce eggs that will become the next generation of live targets for shooters.

“It is abominable that such suffering — for so-called sport — is permitted.

“We want to see an end to the killing of animals for sport.

“But in the immediate future, we want an end to these battery-style cages used to confine the breeding birds.”

Photos obtained by Animal Aid appear to show dead partridges left in the egg collection trays.

Images also show birds fitted with bits and shrouds designed to stop them damaging the other birds.

Waste, including dead birds, also appeared to have been dumped in a field where cattle were grazing.

Calculations by Animal Aid, based on visits by an investigator and also using Google Earth, claim there were 2,232 cages for pheasants.

Depending on whether there are seven birds per cage or nine, this would give between 15,624 and 20,088 birds.

For breeding partridges, there were allegedly 10,080 cages, which equates to 20,160 partridges.

The charity had previously visited the farm in 2005 and now claims that little has changed – despite a Government code of practice being introduced.

But a spokeswoman for Heart of England Farms said: “This appears to be another attempt to reignite an old story which involves members of an extremist organisation trespassing on our land in an attempt to ‘dig the dirt’ on our practices of breeding game birds as part of their overall opposition to shooting.

“We are visited weekly by a game bird vet — while the Animal and Plant Health Agency have the visited site.

“These professionals have no concerns with our practices and their opinion has greater standing than members of the public with extremist views.”

(Image: Manchester Evening News)

Ms Pereira replied: “Animal Aid is an entirely peaceful organisation dedicated to campaigning against animal cruelty.

“We filmed and documented some practices at Heart of England that breach animal welfare guidelines and reported them to the relevant authorities.

“We hope people will be as shocked as us that the law permits these beautiful birds to be incarcerated and exploited for their eggs, in order for shooters to use live birds as feathered targets.

“We are calling for a change to the law to abolish these horrific cages.”

The Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs estimated in 2015 the UK rears between three and six million red-legged partridges and between 20 and 30 million pheasants each year for shooting.

Some estates — including the Royal estate at Sandringham in Norfolk, run under supervision of the Duke of Edinburgh – raise wild pheasants to shoot each year.

But increasing numbers of these birds, and up to half of all partridges bred for shooting, come from the cages.

Heart of England Farms is one of the major suppliers of eggs and hatchlings to UK shooting estates.

Prices start from 47p per chick and discounts are available for orders over 10,000.

The Animal Welfare Act 2006 states that “good practice” means that animals need to be given a “suitable environment” and “be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns”.

(Image: Getty)

And according to Defra’s code for keeping game birds, they must “be provided with ­appropriate space and facilities to ensure the avoidance of stress and to allow the exhibition of normal behaviour patterns”.

The official document adds: “Barren raised cages for breeding pheasants and small barren cages for breeding partridges should not be used.

"All laying systems used for the housing of birds should be designed and managed to ensure the welfare of the birds.

“Any system should be appropriately enriched.”

An RSPCA spokesman said: “We believe that game birds reared or kept for breeding should not be reared in any type of cage as it can cause unnecessary distress and suffering.

“This investigation highlights some of the concerns with the cage system used for game bird rearing or those kept for breeding.

“The RSPCA is opposed to shooting for sport, but where game birds are reared or kept for breeding, they should have access to appropriate facilities.

“This includes sufficient space and enrichment, be kept in such a way that devices are not required to minimise pecking injuries and not kept in any type of cage.

“In addition, we are concerned that it appears dead birds were left in a field and that cattle had access to the carcasses.”

Under-fire sport that’s shooting itself in the foot - by Chris Packham

This is factory farming on an industrial scale and clearly needs better regulation and enforcement of the existing rules.

The government’s laissez-faire attitude to spot checking these farms is inappropriate and is in need of immediate attention.

The birds are not a domestic species, so they would be horribly stressed in these appalling crates where, contrary to the guidelines, there is absolutely no natural enrichment at all.

This clearly displays scant regard for these animals’ welfare.

They are treated as egg machines – and all so that their offspring can be shot. The shooting industry is under fire from many angles at the moment.

Conservationists like myself have had enough of the persecution of birds of prey, the use of lead shot and the mismanagement -of important habitats.

And now this.

The responsible and sustainable shooting fraternity needs to distance itself rapidly from those who are very seriously damaging its interests.