Through the second half of last year I gradually became more aware of (or more bothered by, since I was already aware of) the inhumane way in which the vast majority of egg laying (layers) and “eating” chickens (broilers) are kept in the UK.
“Battery” layers are kept in wire cages, with barely space to turn around. After a year or more in the cage they are culled. Now the easy bit is not buying eggs from “caged” birds. Barn is better, free-range is great, home kept is best and organic is more of a personal choice. The trick is finding mayonnaise, quiche, cakes, egg pasta and all those other products that contain egg; if it doesn’t say free-range in the list of ingredients, it’s battery.
Standard broiler chickens are kept in the dark for 40 days with an A4 area of space each, no environmental enrichment, no natural light, only 30 minutes of darkness a day and no space. After 40 days they are slaughtered.
Yes, it costs more, good welfare always costs more. Free range pork costs more than indoor pork. British beef is more expensive than beef from many non-EU countries where welfare laws are more lenient, or absent. Our welfare laws are in several cases stricter than EU directives, making our food more expensive to produce. However, unless they exist on a chicken only diet, buying free-range is not going to make a major difference to many people’s expenditure. And in my view it’s worth it.
As an avid meat eater I firmly believe we have a responsibility to treat the meat we eat well when it’s alive. Either that or don’t eat it.
Links of Note:
Battery Hen Welfare Trust
Hugh’s Chicken Out Campaign
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