Page 13 - National Poultry Newspaper

Improving poultry welfare may not be as expensive as initially thought
A NEW World Animal Protection report has found producing higher- welfare chickens is far cheaper than previously believed.
The findings mean bil- lions of chickens around the world could be taken out of cruel intensive sys- tems every year as cost can no longer be used as an excuse by restaurants, retailers and producers.
The report was carried out for World Animal Protection by Wageningen University in the Neth- erlands, world leaders in agricultural research.
It finds shifting from ‘conventional’ intensive to higher-welfare indoor sys- tems increases production costs by only 6-9 Euro cents per kilogram of live bird across the five mar- kets studied.
This means a cost in- crease of only 6.4-13.4
percent above convention- al production costs, which is much lower than in- creases of up to 49 percent previously projected by a US industry-funded study.
The solutions proposed in the report to give in- tensively farmed chickens better lives are simple, effective and backed by robust scientific evidence.
Critically, the welfare improvements can be eas- ily introduced to most ex- isting systems.
Improvements include:
• Lower stocking densi- ties of maximum 30kg/ m2, which allow chickens room to move and spread their wings.
• Provision of ‘enrich- ment’ – perches or plat- forms as well as grain, hay bales or other materials to peck. Floor-based litter is essential for dustbathing, comfort and feather and feet health – all of which
are proven to help chick- ens fulfil their natural be- haviours.
• Six hours of continu- ous darkness per day – allowing the birds better development and natural resting time as opposed to shorter, disturbed resting periods – and better illu- mination during daytime hours.
• The use of slower- growing birds with proven higher welfare outcomes to avoid the health prob- lems caused by unnatural fast growth.
Most of the world’s 60 billion chickens farmed for their meat are still confined to cramped, in- tensive conditions in fac- tory farms.
Genetically selected to grow fast and develop large, heavy breast mus- cles – too big for their legs to support – in some cases they can experience pain
and suffering.
The combination of
fast growth and intensive stocking causes serious welfare issues including respiratory failure and sudden death, leg prob- lems, broken bones and skin problems from con- stant contact with wet and dirty litter.
Consumer demand for higher-welfare chicken is increasing worldwide at a rate producers and retail- ers cannot ignore.
Significantly, consumer willingness to bear all or a large proportion of the costs of higher welfare meat is on the rise.
This is further dem- onstrated by consumer behaviour in the Nether- lands, with a national case study of higher welfare retail chicken after actual industry transition.
World Animal Protec- tion CEO Steve McIvor
said, “There is a real op- portunity here to improve the lives of billions of chickens globally.”
“The higher-welfare in- door system is realistic and scientifically proven.
“It opens the doors to business opportunities worldwide.
“It gives discerning con- sumers what they want and allows producers and retailers higher cost ef- ficiencies than some other higher-welfare systems.
“Almost all existing lower-welfare systems in all markets researched for this report, except for cag- es, can be easily adapted to comply with the higher- welfare indoor system.
“This can be achieved with lower production costs than previously be- lieved.
“Most importantly, it can deliver a vital change for chickens.”
Photo: backyardchickencoops.com.au
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