The sneaky film was shot by the animal rights organization Djurrättsalliansen at the end of June outside one of CA Cedergren's stables with laying hens in Mönsterås. In the pictures you can see what people look like trying to kill a hen by squeezing it in a door, and how to hit hens with sticks.

The County Administrative Board is the authority that will check that the animal welfare laws are complied with, and shortly after SVT showed the pictures to Fredrik Ustrup on Wednesday, the authority chose to start a supervisory case - and already on Wednesday evening a decision was made to report the matter.

- This is not how killing should go, it is a way that is not acceptable, says Fredrik Ustrup.

"Most serious we can hand over"

He considers the incident very serious.

- We report a crime that we suspect is animal cruelty, it is the most serious thing we can hand over to the police.

"Understood it was serious"

The governor of Kalmar County, Cecilia Schelin Seidegård, was also present when the decision on a prosecution was made.

- I heard about the film afterwards from one of my most experienced employees who had seen it with dismay, and then I understood that it was really serious, she says to SVT.

It is the animal rights organization Djurrättsalliansen that filmed at the farm after tips that chickens were hurting. Activists from the organization have also previously filmed and documented abuse for animals around the country. By comparing the filmed GPS coordinates of the place seen in the film that the activists sent to us against Google Maps, SVT has been able to ensure that the film is recorded on this farm.

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Sneaky pictures show how hens are tortured to death at Sweden's largest egg supplier. Warning for unpleasant images in the video. Photo: SVT