15 Feb 2018 4:00 AM AEST
- Australians Urged to Speak up for Battery Hens Before it's too Late
15 February, 2018
Australians Urged to
Speak up for Battery Hens Before it's too Late
Australians are being
encouraged take part in a once-in-a-generation opportunity to help end the cruel
use of battery hen cages by making a submission to the poultry code review.
With polls indicating
84% of Australians believe that battery cages should be banned, it's alarming that
11 million hens still suffer in cages in Australia today.
Deemed cruel and
unacceptable in many other countries including Canada, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the entire
European Union, Australia is now lagging behind the rest of the world by continuing
to allow the use of battery hen cages.
The reasons to act now
and make a submission to the poultry review are clear. Battery hens in Australia
are permanently locked in small cages, denied the freedom to walk around and
stretch their wings for their entire life. Furthermore, scientists estimate
that four in five caged hens suffer from crippling osteoporosis due to the
conditions they are forced to live in.
Setting the standard for
the treatment of farmed birds, the review of the Model Code of Practice for
Poultry is now open for public consultation. But the process hasn't been
without scandal, with documents acquired under the Freedom of Information Act
indicating collusion between the egg industry and the NSW Government to ensure
battery cages remain in use.
With industry interests
dominating the agenda, now is the time for the public to raise their voices for
animal welfare standards to reflect community expectations.
"This is the first
time in 17 years that the laws that allow cage egg farming have come under review.
Currently, more than 90,000 Australians have made a submission through the
Animals Australia website, which
is staggering. It's already the biggest response to a public consultation for
farmed animals that Australia has ever seen. This demonstrates the depth of
concern in the community about this issue," said Animals Australia's
Campaign Director Lisa Chalk.
The expectations of the
community have changed significantly within the last decade, with many consumers
already voting with their wallets. Most Australians no longer buy cage eggs and
while major companies such as Woolworths, Aldi, McDonald's, Subway, Hungry
Jack's, Arnott's, Nestle and Heinz are removing cage eggs from their supply
chains, cage egg corporations are still permitted to operate in Australia.
Cage egg farming in
Australia is dominated by three multi-million dollar corporations whose combined
annual revenue is over half a billion dollars. They can well afford the 2.5
cents per egg it would cost to give hens a better life.
With support for cage
egg farming waning, some egg producers are now looking to export cage eggs overseas.
A legal ban on battery cages would ensure Australian hens aren't condemned to
suffer in cages to lay eggs for other countries.
"Australian
Governments like to project the nation as a world leader on animal welfare but
in reality, Australia is lagging well behind other developed nations,
particularly in failing to acknowledge the unacceptable cruelty caused by
battery hen cages," said Lisa Chalk.
"What we have
before us is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to secure a better life for
millions of animals."
The poultry code review
provides a rare opportunity to secure a legal ban on the cruel and archaic battery
hen cage. Running until February 26, the public consultation process enables
everyone in the community to join well-known Australians - Judith Lucy, Mick
Molloy, Sam Pang and Lehmo - to be part of history in the making and help free
hens from cages.
Submissions take only a
minute and can be made by visiting AnimalsAustralia.org before February 26th.
Video and images are
available for download at:
Please email submissions to publicconspoultry@animalhealthaustralia.com.au
Or
Post submissions to: Animal Welfare Standards Public Consultation PO Box 5116 Braddon ACT 2612
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