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While scientists and philosophers continue to debate the age-old dilemma of ‘which came first, the chicken or the egg’, the answer for Australia’s ten million caged layer or ‘battery’ hens is painfully clear. Despite increasing community awareness about their plight, the vast majority of Australia’s egg laying hens today still spend their short lives warehoused with hundreds of thousands of others. They are confined in small cages in which they are unable to exercise the bulk of their natural behaviours such as preening, nesting and even stretching their wings. Chickens have feelings too Due to the focus on maximising egg production, many intensive farming methods appear to disregard the fact that chickens are sentient beings with the capacity to suffer. However, there is ample research to demonstrate that chickens, like humans, experience physical sensations such as pain, and emotional responses such as fear, anxiety, pleasure and enjoyment. Studies have shown that chickens are highly social animals with complex cognitive abilities. Cruel treatment Some examples of practices which battery hens are lawfully subjected to include: Permanent confinement Hens in battery cages spend their lives in artificially lit surroundings designed to maximize laying activity. They are allocated space equivalent to little more than an A4 sized piece of paper, which is insufficient room to exercise most natural behaviours. Sore feet As hens raised in battery cages spend their time continually standing on sloping wire floors designed to facilitate egg collection, many experience chronic pain from the development of lesions and other foot problems. Beaks cut Due to the suppression of many of their natural instincts and social interactions, chickens raised in battery cages often become frustrated. This may trigger stereotypical behaviors like pecking, bullying and cannibalism. Producers consider these to be behavioural ‘vices’ because they can cause hens to injure themselves or other birds. Consequently, chicks are routinely beak-trimmed or ‘de-beaked’, which involves the practical removal or burning off of the upper and lower beak through the application of an electrically heated blade. No pain relief Despite the fact that de-beaking is known to cause acute and chronic pain (particularly in older birds) due to tissue damage and nerve injury, no State or Territory law in Australia requires pain relief to be used in conjunction with the procedure. There is also no legal requirement for the procedure to be carried out by a veterinarian or even a stockperson with specialised training. In addition to the above, many people do not realise that each year up to 12 million male chickens are designated an industry waste product because they cannot lay eggs. They are killed soon after hatching, generally by gassing or maceration (disposal in a high-speed grinder). Why the law is not on their side In Australia, there are State and Territory animal welfare laws that are intended to protect animals but in reality, the fundamental interests of most farm animals, including chickens, are not protected in law. National Model Codes of Practice apply in addition to some animal welfare laws; however, these Codes also fail to provide true protection. To make matters worse, they are often used to justify many cruel factory farming practices. The current Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals: Domestic Poultry (version 4) (the Poultry Code), is no exception. Progress The continuing refusal by Australian State and Territory Ministers to take a leadership position with respect to the banning of battery cages stands in stark contrast to developments overseas. For example, in the European Union (EU), the phasing out of battery cages is in progress following the passing of a Council Directive in 1999. Under the EU Directive, the installation of new battery cages has been prohibited since January 2003. Additionally, EU member countries are required to phase out all battery cages by 2012. In ground breaking news, voters in California, US recently approved a ban on battery cages by 2015. Michigan followed suit committing to a phase out of battery cages by 2019, marking what will no doubt be a movement towards the elimination of battery cages across the United States. While legislative changes in EU & US are encouraging, the real victory to date lies in the support that consumers are demonstrating for alternatives to the battery cage system. For example, in the UK and Ireland, sales of cage-free eggs have overtaken sales of battery eggs. Currently, in Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Austria, Romania and Sweden, there are more layer hens kept cage-free than in battery cages.[1] As more Australians continue to support cage-free production, they send a strong message to politicians to fall into line with popular expectations by bringing an end to the widespread abuses associated with battery cage production. This factsheet has been adapted from an article by Katrina Sharman; references can be found in the original article: Sharman, K. (2008) “Putting the chicken before the egg; layer hen housing laws in Australia” Australian Animal Protection Law Journal Vol 1, No. 1. Recent news Initiatives such as ‘cage–free’ campuses at universities have taken off recently. Aussie students have been getting active, inspired by success stories in the USA and Canada where close to 350 campuses[2], (including Harvard, Princeton and Berkley) have gone 'cage free'. Australian universities such as the University of Newcastle have already committed to sourcing non-caged eggs.[3] In recent years, both the ACT and Tasmanian Greens have introduced Bills intended to ban battery cages. While these have not been successful, the increasing public opposition to battery hen cages suggests that the Bills may be precursors to significant law reform.[4] As of May 2009, ACT government agencies such as ACT Public Schools and ACT Health will no longer be purchasing battery eggs. According to ACT Chief Minister Jon Stanhope, "The ACT Government is committed to leading the way in phasing out the use of battery eggs in the ACT. We hope that all Canberrans can follow the Government's example and choose to buy free range or barn-laid eggs when buying their eggs."[5] "A small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." Margaret Mead. Together, we can make a difference
Find out more about what you can do as a: The Animal Club website includes a set of Animal Sentience Worksheets devoted to “Helping chickens”. These were created by Faye Leister to introduce the concepts of animal sentience to primary school aged children. They provide a simple, creative and effective way for young students to start thinking about 'farm' animals from the perspective of sentience. The worksheets are available for download as a pdf here. Voiceless links: In 2008, Jamie Oliver’s program Jamie’s Fowl Dinners aired on Australian television, giving viewers an insight into the factory farming of chickens for meat and eggs. To coincide with this program, Voiceless issued a media release highlighting the suffering and deprivation faced by so many chickens in Australia. It is available online here. You can also see photographs from a battery hen farm that Voiceless team members were permitted to visit here. Recommended reading and resources The following two books concentrate exclusively on the plight of chickens: Davis, Karen, Prisoned Chickens Poisoned Eggs: An Inside Look at the Modern Poultry Industry, Book Publishing Company (1996). Ellis, Hattie, Planet Chicken: The Shameful Story of the World’s Favourite Bird, Hodder & Stoughton Ltd (2007).
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