Re: From Shell to Hell: the modern egg industry

From: Derek Moody (derek_at_farm-direct.con)
Date: 08/07/04 

Date: Sat, 07 Aug 2004 22:35:14 +0100

On Sat, 7 Aug 2004 20:45:45 +0100, Jon <spam@unlockingshop.co.uk>
wrote:

>go@fish had a brainwave and did spout the following:
>> > BSE, CJD, F&M does anyone still eat meat?
>
>> They shouldn't. Who knows where that stuff has been!

On Sat, 07 Aug 2004 09:00:27 +0100, Derek Moody
<derek@farm-direct.con> wrote:

>Bloody hell is nothing safe from the loony factory farmers? Who on
>earth would actually eat this garbage? remember that next time you are
>eating out.
>
>Found on the Animal Aid website.
>
>
>
>http://www.animalaid.org.uk/farming/shell.htm
>
> Factfile: August 2004
>
>>From Shell to Hell:
>the modern egg industry
>The modern chicken is descended from the Red Junglefowl (Gallus
>gallus) of Asia and has been domesticated for around 8000 years.
>During the breeding season, the hens would lay 5-6 eggs in a clutch
>before incubating them for 18-20 days (del Hoyo et al, 1994). Compare
>this with modern breeds of domestic hen, which lay more than 300 eggs
>in a year.
>
>In the wild, hens are active from dawn to dusk, walking, running,
>pecking and scratching in the ground for food, dust-bathing and
>nest-building. Their natural lifespan is up to ten years. Chickens
>farmed for meat are killed when they are six weeks old. Egg laying
>hens are killed when around 72 weeks of age.
>
>The modern poultry industry
>Meat production
>These days, the poultry industry is divided into two areas: egg
>production and meat production. Meat - 'broiler' - chickens have been
>manipulated, through selective breeding techniques, to make them grow
>around twice their natural rate, to get them as fat as possible in as
>short a period of time. They grow so big, so fast, their legs are
>unable to support their weight and they frequently collapse. Broiler
>chickens are slaughtered at six weeks of age - they are still babies,
>trapped inside obese, deformed bodies.
>
>
> 'Farm fresh', 'country fresh' and 'fresh from the barn' are all terms
>conjured up to disguise the cruelty involved in egg production. You
>think eating eggs is a cruelty-free option? Think again.
>Photo shows a recently rescued free range hen. Credit: FAWN
>
>Egg production
>Egg-laying hens are a different 'type' of chicken to broilers. Bred
>specifically for high egg production, they do not put on weight
>quickly enough to be considered economically-viable for meat
>production. A particularly tragic occurrence springs out of this
>difference: the destruction of male chicks, deemed useless because
>they cannot lay eggs but are not suitable for meat production either
>(see below).
>
>Despite centuries of domestication, laying hens retain the natural
>behaviours shown by their wild ancestors. This 'ancestral memory' of
>the birds' natural way of life has been carried down the generations
>so that hens retain the need to carry out behaviours such as building
>a nest, perching, pecking and scratching at the ground, dust-bathing,
>etc. (Dawkins, 1993). For the majority of the world's egg-laying hens,
>the farming system renders it impossible to live anything remotely
>resembling a natural lifestyle.
>
>The global egg industry
>Around the world there are approaching 5000 million egg-laying hens.
>The latest numbers available show that China had the largest flock
>(800 million), followed by the European Union (271 million), the USA
>(270 million), Japan (152 million), India (123 million) and Mexico
>(103 million) (IEC, 2001).
>
>Globally, between 70-80% of laying hens are housed in battery cages.
>The proportion of caged hens in the EU is about 90% (Williams, 2000).
>
>There are about 30 million hens in the UK egg-laying flock. Some 72%
>are currently in cages, 23% kept free range; and 5% in perchery/barn
>systems (BEIS, 2004).
>
>UK laying hens currently produces around 10,000 million eggs. In the
>UK, the average consumer eats 170 eggs per year.
>
>
> Of the 30 million egg-laying hens in the UK, around 75% are kept in
>battery cages. The others are kept in 'alternative' systems such as
>'barn' or 'free range'. But look at the photos on this page. Is there
>really much difference?
>
>Labelling: what does it really mean?
>The egg industry has created a very successful smoke-screen to hide
>the harsh reality of modern egg production by using terms such as
>'farm fresh' and 'country fresh'. As with 'free range', these
>misnomers conjure up images somewhat different from the true picture.
>One would not normally describe eggs covered in excrement, lying
>amongst the decomposing bodies of dead hens in battery cages as
>'fresh'!
>
>>From 2004, European Union legislation will make the egg industry more
>transparent when it becomes compulsory for eggs to be labelled
>according to the method of production. The following terms will apply:
>
>Battery eggs will be labelled "Eggs from caged hens";
>
>Barn eggs will be labelled "Barn" eggs;
>
>Free-range eggs will be labelled "Free Range" eggs.
>
>Farming systems for eggs
>Battery Cages
>Battery farms consist of huge, windowless sheds housing thousands of
>hens who are crammed four or five at a time into small wire cages
>stacked on top of each other in rows. The hens are put in to the cages
>at around 18 weeks old and will not come out again until they go for
>slaughter (around 72 weeks of age).
>
>
> In battery units, four or five hens are crammed into a space not much
>bigger than a microwave oven. They are barely able to move, let alone
>stretch their wings.
>
>Battery cages are one of the factory farming industry's most cruel
>inventions. Each hen has 450cm² of space - the equivalent of an A4
>*** of paper. The average wing span of a hen is 76cm - the cages are
>so small that the hens will never be able to stretch their wings,
>raise their heads properly or move freely, and because they are barren
>the birds cannot exhibit any of their natural behaviours such as
>dust-bathing or building a nest. Free-range birds have been found to
>spend half their time freely feeding and foraging (Appleby & Hughes,
>1991). Battery hens are denied the ability to do either.
>
>Most intensive egg farms are fully automated - everything from the
>lighting to the feeding, watering and egg collection is controlled
>automatically. The cage floors slope forward so that eggs roll on to a
>conveyor belt and are taken away to be boxed. In order to promote
>egg-laying, the sheds are artificially lit for approximately 17 hours
>each day, with the lights coming on at around 3am.
>
>Keeping animals in such confined, overcrowded conditions obviously has
>serious implications for their welfare and health. Unable to perform
>their natural behaviours, the bodies of battery hens degenerate
>through lack of exercise. Unable to scratch at the ground, their claws
>overgrow and may curl round the wire mesh of the cage.
>
>Hens in traditional battery cages perform 'vacuum' dust-bathing, i.e.
>mimic the actions of dust-bathing even though they have no 'dust'.
>This behaviour is abnormal and the frustration of hens' normal
>dust-bathing behaviour is recognised as a source of suffering (Baxter,
>1994).
>
>Hens are frequently cannibalised or crushed to death by their
>cage-mates. The decaying corpses of dead birds are not always removed
>as farm workers do not see them lying at the back of the cage. The top
>and bottom rows of cages, potentially housing thousands of birds, are
>particularly difficult to view simply because they are not at eye
>level and involve either bending down or standing on something to look
>inside. Battery farms are frequently staffed by only a few people. If
>enough staff were employed to enable each cage to be inspected each
>properly, the battery system would no longer be financially-viable due
>to the high cost of staffing.
>
>
>
> Battery cages are so inhumane that they will be banned in the EU from
>2012. But that means years of suffering ahead, and the replacement -
>so-called 'enriched' cages - will make little difference because a
>cage is still a cage and the extra space the hens will have is
>equivalent to the size of a postcard.
>
>Barn (perchery) systems
>Eggs labelled 'barn' are laid by hens who are not caged but are
>confined to a shed, often in filthy, stinking cramped conditions. The
>birds may be able to stretch their wings - and are therefore probably
>slightly better off than battery hens- but they will never see
>daylight or breathe fresh air and are still denied real freedom,
>comfort or ability to exercise their natural instincts. Flock sizes
>can be huge, with some barns housing up to 16,000 birds. The name
>'barn' is used to deliberately mislead the public into thinking the
>hens are kept in bright, airy conditions with fresh straw on the
>floor. Not true!
>
>Free Range Systems
>Many people associate the term 'free range' with 'cruelty free' and
>assume the hens live a natural lifestyle, merrily pecking at the
>ground, willingly giving the farmers the daily gift of an egg.
>Unfortunately, this is not the case!
>
>The EU guidelines, to which egg farmers are legally obliged to adhere
>(Welfare of Laying Hens Directive), state that in order for eggs to be
>labelled 'free range', the hens must have access to an outdoor range
>area, accessible through openings in the sides of the barn. The barn
>can be stocked at a density of 12 hens per m² (hardly a lot of
>space!), and the total opening between the barn and the outside must
>not be less than 2m per 1000 hens. Farmers with fewer than 350 birds
>in their flock are exempt from the Welfare Directive (unless their
>eggs are sold graded as Class A).
>
>The reality is that 'free range' hens are often kept in 'barn'-type
>sheds in flocks of up to 16,000. In large-scale free range units,
>often fewer than 50% of the birds regularly go outside. Some barns,
>for example, only have doors down one side - imagine the scrum trying
>to get through the holes to the outside; the hens at the back of the
>barn are unlikely ever to be able to pick their way through.
>
>Free range hens are frequently debeaked (see below), and, as with all
>commercial laying hens, they are usually slaughtered after one year of
>egg production.
>
>
> Barn hens are still confined to dirty, overcrowded sheds. They will
>never see daylight, breathe fresh air or be able to exercise their
>natural instincts.
>Photo shows barn hens. Credit: Viva!
>
>European Scientific Veterinary Committee Report: an admission of
>cruelty
>In 1996, the European Union's committee of scientific and veterinary
>experts published a report acknowledging the behavioural needs of hens
>and the welfare problems caused by caging. The report recognised that:
>
>"Hens have a strong preference for laying their eggs in a nest and are
>highly motivated to perform nesting behaviour."
>
>"Hens have a strong preference for a littered floor for pecking,
>scratching and dust-bathing."
>
>"Hens have a preference to perch, especially at night."
>All of these behaviours are denied to caged hens. The report's
>conclusions were:
>
>"Battery cage systems provide a barren environment for the birds... It
>is clear that because of its small size and its barrenness, the
>battery cage as used at present has inherent severe disadvantages for
>the welfare of hens."
>
>1999 Laying Hens Directive
>In 1999, the European Union announced that conventional battery cages
>would be banned from 2012. The new Laying Hens Directive (Council
>Directive 1999/74/EC) also forbids the introduction of newly-built
>battery cages from 2003, and requires, until the complete phase-out,
>that the space allowance in existing conventional battery cages be
>increased from 450 cm² to 550 cm² per bird. Whilst a minor
>improvement, to put these space allowances into context, an A4 ***
>of typing paper covers 620 cm².
>
>
> Many people associate 'free range' with 'cruelty-free' and assume the
>hens live a natural life. The reality is very different.
>Photo shows free range hens. Credit: FAWN
>
>'Enriched' cages
>The proposed replacement for battery cages is the 'enriched cage',
>which is slightly bigger and taller than a battery cage and will
>contain some 'furniture' such as a shared perch and nest box, plus
>litter and a claw-shortening device. However, a cage is still a cage,
>despite these changes, and the caged hens will still be denied the
>ability to exercise their instincts and fulfil their natural needs.
>
>The actual usable space allotted to each bird in an enriched cage will
>be 600 cm² - in effect the increase in space the hens will have is
>equivalent to the size of a postcard. Furthermore, consider that the
>average hen at rest occupies 600 sq. cm (Dawkins & Nicol, 1989) -
>enriched cages, therefore, still only offer the absolute minimum space
>required by a hen lying down.
>
>The introduction of enriched cages also has the potential to create
>further welfare problems for the hens on top of those already
>associated with being kept in such intense captivity. Due to the
>severely restricted space they are confined to, the birds are already
>in constant contact with each other and the sides of the cage, the
>addition of furniture gives them another obstacle to brush up against.
>Feather loss is generally worse in cages due to a combination of
>abrasion from mesh and feather pecking (Appleby & Hughes, 1991;
>Rollin, 1995). Indeed, the provision of furniture actually carries the
>disadvantage of increasing the amount of potential abrasive surfaces
>and obstacles to free movement in the birds' environment.
>
>Problems such as feeding birds being scratched by the claws of
>perching birds and build-up of droppings under perches indicate the
>problems of introducing 'enrichment' in a confined space (Walker,
>2001).
>
>It is a travesty that one cage system is going to replace another, but
>egg producers are desperate to keep their production costs down - to
>keep the consumers happy - and caging birds is, unfortunately, the
>most economical way of rearing them.
>
>
> Each year in the UK, approximately 30 million day-old male chicks are
>gassed or tossed alive into giant industrial shredders - 'disposed of'
>because they are unable to lay eggs and are considered too scrawny a
>type of chicken for meat production.
>
>Health problems associated with egg-laying hens
>The laying ordeal
>Factory-farmed hens lay eggs five or six times a week. The hens become
>highly stressed and aggressive during the pre-laying period because of
>lack of privacy and nesting materials. When an egg is produced, the
>hen's vent becomes distended, red and moist, attracting the attention
>of bored and frustrated birds. Vent pecking can occur, and even lead
>to cannibalism.
>
>The unnaturally high level of egg production also contributes to
>osteoporosis (see below) as calcium is drained from the hens' bodies
>for the production of egg shells, often leading to severe osteopenia
>(RSPCA, 1989).
>
>Brittle bones
>Battery hens suffer Caged Layer Osteoporosis (CLO), or brittle bones.
>Research has shown that 35% of premature deaths in cages are due to
>CLO, a slow death from paralysis and starvation at the back of the
>cage. This is clearly illustrated by the fact that, because of their
>ability to move about, non-cage birds may have 41% more tibia strength
>than those raised in cages (Meyer & Sunde, quoted in Appleby & Hughes,
>1991).
>
>Injured feet
>Confined to the cage, the hen is unable to forage by scratching and
>pecking at the ground. Denied this simple activity, the hen's claws
>can grow long or twisted and be torn off; or even grow around the wire
>mesh of the sloping cage floor. The slope itself puts painful pressure
>on the hen's toes, causing damage to the bird's feet.
>
>
> This shocking photo shows chicks being sorted, prior to the males
>being gassed.
>Credit: Poultry World
>
>Malignant tumours
>Another welfare problem associated with pushing hens to lay increasing
>numbers eggs is the development of malignant tumours of the oviduct.
>In one investigation, a significant proportion of malignant tumours of
>the oviduct were identified in 20,000 'spent' layers selected from ten
>different farms. The researchers concluded, "... the increase in the
>prevalence of the (magnum) tumour coincides with continued selection
>of fowl for high egg production" (Anjum, 1989).
>
>Debeaking
>As often occurs with all other intensively-farmed animals, the stress
>of living in such unnatural, cramped conditions causes hens to behave
>aggressively towards one another. Hens frequently exhibit the abnormal
>habits of pecking at each other and pulling one another's feathers
>out. In extreme cases this can lead to cannibalism. In an attempt to
>curtail this behaviour, chicks are routinely subjected to the
>mutilation of debeaking.
>
>The industry describes the practice as 'beak trimming' but it is much
>more than that. A sharp, hot blade will slice off the end of the
>chick's beak. Sometimes a chunk of face may be sliced off too as the
>birds are shoved without care into the slicing machine.
>
>Egg producers will maintain that debeaking is no more painful to a
>bird than cutting nails is to humans, but scientific evidence proves
>that hens not only feel pain at the time of the operation but can also
>suffer a lasting, chronic pain.
>
>The slaughter of male chicks
>Chick hatcheries breed one or other strain of chick depending on which
>industry they supply - egg or meat. Male chicks born of the egg-laying
>variety are deemed useless because they cannot lay eggs, but are no
>good for meat production either. Each year, approximately 30 million
>day old male chicks are 'disposed of'.
>
>
> Eggs contain saturated fat, one of the main causes of heart disease -
>and they are among the highest sources of dietary cholesterol.
>
>At the hatcheries, eggs laid by breeding hens are taken away to
>develop inside giant industrial incubators. Once hatched, the newborn
>chicks pass down a production line to be sexed and sorted. Sick,
>weakly and male 'reject' chicks are pulled out and thrown into giant
>sacks or crates. Some are crushed to death or suffocate. The chicks'
>next stop is either the gas chamber or the macerator - a giant mincing
>machine - into which they are tossed alive.
>
>The slaughter of 'spent' hens
>Most egg-laying hens (including free range) are slaughtered at around
>72 weeks of age, because, as their egg production drops, they are not
>considered profitable enough to keep alive.
>
>The transport and slaughter of hens is an incredibly traumatic
>experience. Once caught, the hens are held upside down, several per
>hand, and carried out to be packed into crates for transport. Rough
>handling and complete disregard for their welfare often leads to them
>breaking bones in the process (Turner & Lymbery, 1999). One study
>found that at the time of catching and crating, levels of the stress
>hormone corticosterone in battery hens were ten times higher than
>normal.
>
>On average, 29%, of battery hens arriving at the slaughterhouse are
>reported to have at least one freshly-broken bone. Removing the birds
>from the crates and hanging them upside down to await slaughter
>increases the proportion of hens with broken bones to 45% (Gregory and
>Wilkins, 1989; Gregory, 1994).
>
>The slaughter process for hens is the same as for all poultry: they
>are shackled upside down, dunked into an electrified waterbath to stun
>them, dragged past either a slaughterman with a knife or an automatic
>rotating blade to have their throats slit, and then dipped into a
>'scalding tank' to loosen their feathers. Birds may 'swan neck' (raise
>their heads) causing them to miss the stun bath and may have their
>throats cut whilst fully conscious. Some birds may not have their
>throats cut properly, meaning they are still alive when they enter the
>scalding tank.
>
>'Spent' hens can be worth as little as two pence per bird. Their
>carcasses will be used in cheap products such as chicken soups,
>pastes, pies, pet food, etc.
>
>
> Research indicates that eggs can inhibit the absorbtion of iron
>(needed for healthy blood, cells and nerves) and contribute to the
>loss of calcium (necessary for healthy bones).
>
>The impact of eating eggs on the environment
>Farming hens for their eggs is a huge waste of resources. It takes 3
>kilos of grain (in the form of chicken feed) to produce one kilo of
>eggs. This is because the conversion of crops by farm animals into
>food for humans is grossly inefficient. And it is not only food
>(grain) that is wasted. Each battery egg takes approximately 180
>litres of water to produce. This is a shocking statistic considering
>the volumes of water human beings use in developing countries: in
>India, for example, the poorest people use an average of only 10
>litres of water each per day (O'Brien, 1998).
>
>Studies of farm animal housing have shown that egg farms have one of
>the highest farm emission rates of ammonia gas, a serious
>environmental pollutant linked to acid rain.
>
>Health hazard!
>Eggs - in particular, raw eggs - can be a cause of salmonella food
>poisoning.*
>
>In 2003, there were 9,743 laboratory-confirmed cases in the UK of
>salmonella enteriditis, a pathogen commonly linked to the consumption
>of eggs. Between 1992-2002, of 143 outbreaks of food-borne Infectious
>Intestinal Disesease (food poisoning) where eggs were reported as the
>vehicle of infection, 124 were caused by salmonella entiriditis. (By
>definition an outbreak involves more than one person with an
>established link between the cases.) (PHL 06.01.04)
>
>Advice from the Government's Food Standards Agency (FSA) is that
>"eating raw eggs may pose a health risk. Vulnerable groups such as the
>elderly, the sick, babies and pregnant women should only consume eggs
>that have been cooked until the white and yolks are solid" (FSA,
>2001).
>
>
> There are no nutrients in eggs that cannot be obtained from other
>foods. Cutting out animal products entirely is the really healthy
>option.
>
>* Nowadays, the majority of - but not all - eggs on sale in the UK
>bear the Lion Brand stamp of approval which means they have come from
>hens who were vaccinated against salmonella. However, the data show
>that salmonella clearly has not been eliminated.
>
>Not all they're cracked up to be
>Eggs are high in saturated fat and cholesterol - one of the main
>causes of heart disease. Eating protein-rich animal products can
>actually cause calcium loss: for every 100g of egg consumed, 20mg of
>calcium is lost. Eggs also stop our bodies from absorbing
>plant-derived iron. There are no nutrients in eggs that you can't get
>from elsewhere. In fact, cutting out animal products entirely is the
>really healthy option.
>
>With grateful thanks to the following groups who supplied much of the
>information for this factfile:
>
>The Vegan Society
>http://www.vegansociety.com/
>Farm Animal Welfare Network
>http://www.fawn.me.uk/
>Viva!
>http://www.viva.org.uk/
>
> For more information - including our new egg leaflet and tasty
>egg-free recipes - send for a free Go Veggie Pack today.
>http://www.animalaid.org.uk/veggie/index.htm
>
>www.animalaid.org.uk | site map | about us |
>
> Animal Aid campaigns peacefully against all animal abuse, and
>promotes a cruelty-free lifestyle. You can support our work by
>joining, making a donation, or using our online shop. Contact Animal
>Aid at The Old Chapel, Bradford Street, Tonbridge, Kent, TN9 1AW, UK,
>tel +44 (0)1732 364546, fax +44 (0)1732 366533, email
>info@animalaid.org.uk

>If anyone else is considering posting to this thread, could we have a
>bit of trimming please?

We dont do requests here.

Cheerio,