Sunday 25 March 2012

Less battery, more hen

Is it these chickens’ best-ever year? This year is the first year in which old-style battery-hen farms have been outlawed (in the EU at least) – and it really was about time.
My one visit to a battery-hen factory (for that’s what it was) was – to my mind – horrific. The huge warehouse was smotheringly hot and foetid with odours. A red-light illuminated the factory 24 hours a day.
I felt it would be impossible to condone such a trade, so I started only eating free-range chicken after that experience.

The new system (of more space per hen etc) is clearly better. Now, it seems I can go back to eating supermarket chicken with good conscience. Or not?

3 comments:

  1. Not sure they have been outlawed - just new regulations as to the size of cages and what they should have access to.

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    1. Yes, you are right of course. But some animal rights groups have been approving of the new regulations, so I'm wondering if the factory conditions are okay enough now. I guess I'll just have to go look again...

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  2. Good news for the chooks and how nicer it is to see the chickens able to move around freely.

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