Written by: Gillian Fraser (information provided by the NSPCA)
HORROR AT DAYBREAK FARMS: OVER A MILLION CHICKENS STARVED, CULLED AMID CHAOS AND CANNIBALISM
What began as a corporate collapse has spiralled into one of South Africa’s worst animal welfare crises. Daybreak Farms — a state-funded poultry operation with facilities across Gauteng and Mpumalanga — has come under fire after abandoning more than a million chickens to face starvation, leading to horrifying scenes of cannibalism and mass culling.
The National Council of SPCAs (NSPCA) was alerted on 30 April 2025 to the dire situation. At a Daybreak contract grower, 200,000 chickens had gone without food for days. The starving birds — over 28 days old yet severely underweight — turned on each other in desperation, with widespread cannibalism breaking out in overcrowded, barren sheds. The NSPCA, granted emergency authorisation, was forced to cull all of them over two days to end their agony.
This was only the beginning.
By 01 May, Daybreak Foods formally informed the NSPCA it could no longer supply feed due to financial collapse. In a shocking abdication of responsibility, the company gave the NSPCA permission to “dispose” of the birds — effectively abandoning them to slow and cruel deaths.
What unfolded was catastrophic. High ammonia levels, unpaid staff, rotting carcasses, and skeletal chickens painted a nightmarish picture. On some farms, birds had been left without food for up to seven days. In total, around 500,000 surviving birds were rescued and placed with producers able to care for them, but at least 350,000 more were too far gone and had to be humanely culled.
Veterinary Public Health authorities blocked Daybreak’s proposal to slaughter the birds for meat — they were too emaciated to be processed safely or humanely. Shackles and stunning baths were deemed unfit for the fragile animals, adding yet another layer of cruelty to an already devastating situation.
Senior Inspector Nazareth Appalsamy of the NSPCA called it “one of the most emotionally and physically taxing operations” his team had ever faced. “We were not there to save lives — we were there to end suffering. That breaks every one of us.”
In the end, it was not Daybreak, but a non-profit network of SPCAs and volunteers — from Alberton to Tshwane — who were left to deal with the disaster. Not a single offer of assistance came from Daybreak as its board washed its hands of the crisis.
The NSPCA has confirmed it will initiate criminal charges for abandonment, cruelty, and neglect against Daybreak and its directors under the Animals Protection Act.
From a biblical perspective, this disaster exposes the devastating consequences of greed and irresponsibility. Proverbs 12:10 reminds us, “A righteous man regards the life of his animal, but the tender mercies of the wicked are cruel.” This heartbreaking event leaves no doubt — cruelty often comes disguised as apathy and greed.
As Christians, we must call for justice. Profit-driven neglect cannot be allowed to prevail. Daybreak’s failure serves as a wake-up call to all: when stewardship is abandoned, suffering abounds — and someone must stand in the gap.
Click here to KEEP UPDATED on the latest news by subscribing to our FREE weekly newsletter.
> Please support Christian media and journalism in South Africa. Help us to spread the Word of God and take a stand for the truth by making a donation to our ministry. We appreciate your support. Click here to take hands with JOY! Magazine.
Date published: 07/05/2025
Images: NSPCA
DISCLAIMER
JOY! News is a Christian news portal that shares pre-published articles by writers around the world. Each article is sourced and linked to the origin, and each article is credited with the author’s name. Although we do publish many articles that have been written in-house by JOY! journalists, we do not exclusively create our own content. Any views or opinions presented on this website are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the company.
