1. UEP'S NEW SPACE STANDARDS CRITICIZED
Some United Egg Producers (UEP) members are beginning the first phase of UEP's voluntary compliance plan for improving welfare standards by giving caged hens more space (see issue #56). According to Ken Klippen, an egg industry lobbyist, the industry was motivated by the European Union's directive to ban (battery) cages by 2012 (see issue #74). The U.S. egg industry, he said, wanted to act before the government mandated changes. UEP's standards, to be phased-in over a 6 year period, are weaker than ones which McDonald's is already requiring its suppliers meet. Noted animal welfare authority Temple Grandin is critical of UEP's standards, pointing out that in many cases hens are still so tightly crowded they can't lie down. She opines that the industry is held back by old-guard, animals-as-machines views, stating "Some of these people have forgotten a hen is a live animal. This is what happens when people get totally desensitized to suffering." The standards are also criticized by some within the egg industry. Cyd Szymanski, who sells eggs from uncaged hens, remarked "In my opinion, it's a program that allows (the egg industry) to say they're doing something, while doing very, very little." [UEP has denied Farmed Animal Watch's request for a copy of the guidelines.] Critics say the egg industry's refusal to allow the media into cage facilities for disease control reasons is, in actuality, an excuse to keep the public from witnessing overcrowded conditions. Visitors to Dave Turunjian's cage operation used to come away teary-eyed. Turunjian, who now runs a cage-free operation, explains, "It was just a depressing site, seeing them packed in there."

 

"A Fix in the Henhouse," Rocky Mountain News, Todd Hartman, October 16, 2002.
http://rockymountainnews.com/drmn/state/article/0,1299,DRMN_21_1481857,00.html

 

2. CANADIAN ANIMAL WELFARE STANDARDS
The Canadian Council of Grocery Distributors, which represents 80% of all Canadian grocery chains, says its clients are demanding an auditing system to ensure farmers follow basic animal welfare standards. The Council is looking for ways to make sure that Canada's voluntary Codes of Practice are followed (see issue #82). The executive director of the Vancouver Humane Society says the codes will not ensure adequate standards of care because they "enshrine practices that scientific evidence has shown to be the cause of stress and distress in farm animals." She calls instead for "enforceable, auditable legislation which condemns these practices that severely compromise the welfare of farm animals."

 

"Council Cites Animal Treatment Standards," Vancouver Sun, Nicholas Read, October 12, 2002.
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=dc6de327-14a5-44d1-ac75-7714e30c38de 

 

3. CAGEY CONCERNS
United Egg Producers is continuing to press the government to not require outdoor access for hens in order for eggs to be labeled "organic" (see issue #88) . The organization, which represents the majority of domestic egg operations and companies, has been meeting with top USDA officials about this. It argues that the risk of Salmonella enteritidis and avian influenza are too high with flocks allowed outdoors. The Board that formulated the standards had determined that the potential benefits outweighed the risks. Proponents of the new organics rule, which went into effect on Monday, worry that provisions which allow temporary confinement for inclement weather, health or environmental reasons could be exploited. The rule doesn't prescribe how long or how often animals must be outside. Similar concerns are being raised in the United Kingdom (see: http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk_news/story/0,3604,815994,00.html ).

 

In the U.K., Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) is calling on the European Union to strengthen the law to outlaw all battery cages used to keep hens, regardless of cage size. The European directive banning the use of battery cages in Europe after 2012 will still allow "enriched" cages. They are larger and often have litter, perches and nesting accommodations. CIWF cites scientific studies which show that these cages still fail to resolve severe welfare problems.

 

The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) is ordering the owner of a free-range, organic chicken farm to stop using the words "free range, no medications, no herbicides, pesticides or fungicides" on his labels. The farmer charges that the agency is trying to protect conventional chicken operations, remarking "They [the CFIA] say you can't grow chickens free range, but that's what we do, and that's what we're fighting against."

 

"Egg Battle Rolls on the Ins and Outs," The Washington Post, Cindy Skrzycki, October 22, 2002.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A61976-2002Oct21.html
"Ban Battery Cages, Says Animal Pressure Group," PA News, Graham Hiscott, October 22, 2002
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2002/10-2002/animalnet_october_23.htm
"Council Cites Animal Treatment Standards," Vancouver Sun, Nicholas Read, October 12, 2002.
http://www.canada.com/search/story.aspx?id=dc6de327-14a5-44d1-ac75-7714e30c38de 

 

4. DISEASE PROBLEMS IN THE MODERN POULTRY INDUSTRY
The modern poultry industry has created an environment very favorable to highly contagious agents. According to a North Carolina State University veterinarian, "high biosecurity and proper monitoring are still wishful thinking in many areas of intensive poultry production." Intensive selection for production traits has left birds immuno-compromised, while scientists are discovering more and more immuno-suppressive microbes. [Birds used in alternative production systems are often from heartier breeds.] Rapid growth rate in chickens has been associated with disease outbreaks and higher mortality (see http://www.wattnet.com/Library/ViewlibEnews.cfm?PG=1&LibNum=876 ). Antibiotics and vaccines are of limited use in preventing disease. Additionally, many intensive confinement facilities are not designed to be easily cleaned. This article notes some of the hygienic shortcomings of U.S. systems in comparison to foreign ones. For example, the author explains that "Replacing used litter between flocks is standard practice worldwide but it will not gain acceptance in the United States." 

 

"Biosecurity now," Poultry International, Dr. Jean-Pierre Vaillancourt, July 2002.
(PDF FILE):
http://www.wattnet.com/Archives/Docs/0702pi12.pdf?CFID=362362&CFTOKEN=33139318

 

5. AI OUTBREAK BLAMED ON LIVE POULTRY MARKETS
The avian influenza (AI) epidemic that devastated Virginia's poultry industry earlier this year is believed to have come from live poultry markets. Some 23,000 birds are sold daily in the live markets of the northeastern U.S., 40% of which are positive for specific AI viruses at any given time. During this spring and summer, 4.7 million Virginia chickens and turkeys were killed in an attempt to control the disease (see issue #67). The government has provided nearly $70 million in indemnity payments to the industry for birds killed as a result of the outbreak. The articles mention the numerous ways the virus can be spread in live markets and commercial production sites. The AI strain that hit this year was a low-pathogenic strain that birds can recover from in about a week. One of the questions the (Poultry USA) article asks is: "Should birds be marketed after they have recovered from an AI infection as an alternative to euthanasia?"       

 

"Lessons from the Flu," Poultry USA, Terrence O'Keefe, September 2002.
http://www.wattnet.com
"States Working on AI Response Plans," Poultry Times, Jeff Butler, October 14, 2002.
http://www.poultryandeggnews.com/poultrytimes/news/October2002/281746.html
"AI Control in Live Bird Markets," e-Digest, Volume 2, Number 6, Thomas J. Myers.
http://www.wattnet.com

 

6. NEWCASTLE DISEASE FOUND IN BIRDS USED FOR FIGHTING
More than 5,600 chickens have been killed in Southern California after Newcastle Disease was confirmed there this month. The birds involved are roosters used for fighting; no commercial poultry operations have been affected. A commentator notes: "Another difficulty lies in the fact that fighting cocks populations present a significant epidemiological challenge because [they] congregate and fight, which means be in close contact with other birds for an afternoon and evening and then return home if they haven't been too mutilated by the day's ‘sporting' activities. The congregation and dispersal, of course, will promote the spread of disease to new back yard game flocks and make the tracing of birds from the original outbreak flock much more complicated. Finally, some of these fighting cocks will be worth substantial amounts of money. Birds may travel great distances to fight other highly touted birds, increasing the potential for spread out of state."

 

"Newcastle Disease, Game Birds - USA (California): OIE," ProMed-mail, October 4, 2002.
http://131.104.232.9/animalnet/2002/10-2002/animalnet_october_6.htm#NEWCASTLE