A Dungiven farmer, who claims his livelihood was put on the line after agreeing to appear on a television investigation into poultry production, is to appear at an employment tribunal next week over allegations of wrongful dismissal and corporate bullying.
John Kirkpatrick will take the stand in the employment tribunal concerning the Scottish Agricultural College.
Mr. Kirkpatrick, who was involved with Channel 4s “Hugh’s Chicken Run”, alleges that there was “a systematic undermining of me in my role
and as such I was pushed out.”
He said: “SAC was very happy to have me in early January for the publicity of the series. However, after the programme was broadcast to over 4.5 million viewers, both my managers and HR seemed to get some satisfaction from telling me how inferior I was.
“I was served with an Interim Interdict forbidding me from speaking to anyone about what was going on. I had farmers and landowners phoning me asking me what was happening and why they could not deal with me anymore.”
Mr. Kirkpatrick said he is now facing a significant legal bill for defending himself after he was constructively dismissed this year in March.
“I have lost my home, my business: my relationship is under real pressure and find what has happened to me very difficult to deal with indeed. I came to SAC in “good faith” and after the programme I was totally shunned by them,” he claimed.
The programme involved TV chef Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall who set up an experimental poultry unit comparing standard and free range systems. Their progress was aired as part of Hugh's Chicken Run.
The full article contains 276 words and appears in Journal Friday DER Edition newspaper.
