UK High Court awards damages to poultry workers who were trafficked and enslaved

Six Lithuanian workers who had been trafficked and severely exploited by DJ Houghton Catching Services Ltd have been awarded damages at an amount to be decided at a future hearing.

The Gangmaster’s Licencing Authority and the Kent police found the company’s exploitation to be so extreme that they put an immediate stop to the company supplying labour to farms and factories.

The company forced workers to pay them prohibited fees, unlawfully withheld wages, calculated payment on the number of chickens caught rather than on time worked and traveling time, and failed to ensure adequate facilities for workers to wash, rest, eat and drink.

This is the first time the Court has ruled in favour of victims trafficked by a British company and is a signal to companies that they must be vigilant and work to eradicate human rights abuses from their supply chains.