1. MORE INCHES FOR ALBERTA HENS
Alberta Egg Producers (AEP) has passed a resolution requiring operators to provide more space for caged hens. The action followed the organization's annual meeting, where attendees were warned they would lose the business of grocery stores and fast-food chains if they didn't increase cage size in the AEP code of practice. Following intense debate, it was decided that operators providing less than 64 sq. inches per bird would not qualify for more chickens and eggs in Canada's quota system. Operators who do acquire new quota must put the new birds in cages with a minimum of 67 sq. inches. New or renovated facilities must provide at least 67 sq. inches per hen. The code recommends that birds weighing 1.7 kg. (3.7 lbs., typically white hens) be given 67 sq. inches and those weighing 1.9 kg. (4.2 lbs., typically brown hens) be given 75 sq. inches.

 

Alberta and Quebec are the only Canadian provinces that regulate spacing density. The 1995 Alberta code called for cage density of 64 sq. inches. McDonald's has required 72 sq. inches per hen. AEP President Steve Howe said operators will be advised to provide more space than the code recommends. "We believe McDonald's is always going to ask for more than what you have. If we go to 72, then they're going to say ‘now we want 76 or 80," he said. AEP and the Alberta Farm Animal Care Association have funded research into cages which have more space, nesting areas and perches. An article about "enriched cages" (with photo) can be found at: http://www.afac.ab.ca/Research/Species/Articles/CagesStages.htm

 

"Alberta Enlarges Layer Cages," The Western Producer, Barbara Duckworth, March 7, 2003.
http://www.producer.com/articles/20030306/news/20030306news20.html

 

 

 

2. U.K. POSTPONES DECISION ON BANNING ENRICHED CAGES
U.K. Animal Welfare Minister Elliot Morley recently announced that the Government will defer a decision on whether to ban enriched cages until a European Union (E.U.) review in 2005. The announcement follows 3 months of public consultation on whether to ban the cages when conventional cages are banned in 2012 (when a 1999 E.U. directive comes into effect). Nearly 1,000 organizations and individuals participated in the consultation. Mr. Morley said that, having considered the scientific, economic and veterinary evidence, there were insufficient grounds to decide on banning enriched cages.

 

A Compassion in World Farming spokesperson said the government was siding with industry on the shallow pretext that there wasn't enough scientific evidence available (see issues #90, 74 & 10). Calling enriched cages "glorified battery cages with a fancy name," he pointed out that they provide each hen additional floor space equivalent to the size of a postcard. An RSPCA spokesperson concurred, noting that enriched cages will cause nearly as much suffering as conventional ones. A British Egg Industry Council spokesperson hailed the policy, saying it will curb imports and safeguard jobs. The European Commission is required to present a report on different housing systems for hens by January 1, 2005. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is funding nearly 500,000 pounds ($782,250) over the next 3 years to study enriched cages.          

 

"Morley Reprieves Enriched Cages," Farming Life, March 19, 2003.
http://www.farminglife.com/fl2/page.cfm?objectid=12752490&method=full&siteid=51658
"Ban New Battery Cages, Say Activists," Independent Digital, Steve Connor, March 19, 2003.
http://news.independent.co.uk/uk/environment/story.jsp?story=388553

 

3. TYSON ACQUITTED OF SMUGGLING IMMIGRANTS
On Wednesday, Tyson Foods and 3 of its managers were found not guilty of hiring illegal immigrants. The charges followed a 4-year investigation during which U.S. agents posing as smugglers delivered 136 illegal Mexican and Central American immigrants to Tyson poultry plants in 6 states (see issue #48). Tyson and 6 of its managers were indicted in 2001. One defendant fatally shot himself, 2 others reached plea agreements. They testified for the government, claiming they had done what the company demanded. Tyson countered that a few managers violated the company's "zero tolerance" policy on illegal hiring. Prosecutors presented hundreds of secretly recorded conversations of agents and managers arranging for illegal workers, but jurors said the evidence was unconvincing. Had they been found guilty, the managers would have faced jail time and fines.

 

"Tyson, Others Cleared in Immigrant Case," Associated Press, Bill Poovey, March 27, 2003.
http://www.kansascity.com/mld/kansascity/news/breaking_news/5488887.htm  
"Jury Acquits Tyson, Other Defendants in Immigrant Conspiracy Case, The Associated Press, March 27, 2003.
http://www.poultryandeggnews.com/poultrytoday/news/20030327/1261416.html

 

 

 

4. CATTLE: FROM BIRTH TO FEEDLOT TO SLAUGHTER
The brief life of cattle raised for meat is described in an article about U.S. Foodservice, one of the country's leading food distributors. The calves graze with their mothers until they are about 7 months old and weigh about 500 pounds. They are then weaned and many are sold to "stockers." At about 16 to 18 months old and some 800 pounds, they are sold by the thousands to a feedlot either in a live auction, a video auction (see item #5) or under contract, for about 75 cents/pound (approximately $600 per animal). At the feedlot, the cattle are fed grain for 5 months until they reach an average of 1,250 pounds. They are then sold to slaughterplants for about 77 cents a pound (approximately $960 each). (See also issue #83.) Every day, 130,000 cattle are slaughtered in the U.S. From a 1,250-pound steer (male), about 450 pounds of "finished cuts" (e.g., steaks) and 150 pounds of "trim" (lower priced meat used for ground products) are obtained.

 

"From Feedlot to Food Court," The Washington Post, Margaret Webb Pressler and Dina El Boghdady, March 16, 2003.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A28454-2003Mar15.html

 

5. INTERNET VIDEO & SATELLITE TV CATTLE AUCTIONING
Video cattle auctioning is gaining in popularity. The new technology makes it easier for distant buyers to participate in auctions. DVAuction: http://www.dvauctionline.com is a company that offers real-time Internet video streaming and actual online bidding. Buyers can view video and hear audio with a one-second delay, enabling them to bid while cattle are in the sale ring. Messages about an animal's health and history can also be transmitted to viewers. Livestock R Us is another company that offers on-line viewing: http://www.livestockrus.com Satellite television is another new way of advertising cattle. One company, Superior Livestock in Fort Worth, Tx., sold 1.3 million cattle via satellite tv last year. A company representative explains: "With satellite TV, the buyer can view a five-minute clip of the cattle in the natural surroundings on the ranch and if he has a 36-inch screen, he gets a 36-inch view of the cattle." Focusing on the Florida cattle industry, one article notes that most cattle raised there for meat production end up in Midwest feedlots.

 

"Tradition Teams with Technology," Beef, Kindra Gordon, September 1, 2002.
http://beef-mag.com/ar/beef_tradition_teams_technology/index.htm
"This Isn't Your Father's Cattle Country," The Daytona Beach News-Journal, Carl Laundrie, February 26, 2003.
http://www.news-journalonline.com/NewsJournalOnline/News/Local/areaAREA2WVFLGBIZ022603.htm       

 

6. "HAPPY COWS" AD LAWSUIT TOSSED
A lawsuit brought by PETA against the California Milk Advisory Board (CMAB) charging false advertising for its "Happy Cows" ad campaign has been dismissed (see issue #98). A Superior Court judge ruled that the government is exempt from false ad laws that apply to private individuals. [CMAB programs and administration are supervised by the California Department of Food and Agriculture.] A PETA spokesperson said: "Ads that try to get you to believe that cows are happy when they're really miserable should not be allowed just because they are sponsored by the government." Pleased with the ruling, a CMAB spokesperson commented, "Dairy farmers in California are very proud of their commitment to deliver a wholesome product."

 

"Court Throws Out Animal-Rights Suit Against ‘Happy Cows' Ad," The Mercury News, 3/26/03
http://www.bayarea.com/mld/mercurynews/news/5487196.htm

 

7. CHICKENS DIE IN KUWAIT
The chickens the U.S. Marines intended to use to detect poisonous gas (see N.6,V.2) have died of "natural causes" in the Kuwait desert. Nobody knows why the 41 locally purchased birds died, explained one soldier, "I just heard they were boxed up really tight when they arrived and they started dying from the moment they got here. And it didn't help that nobody here really knows anything about chickens." One article notes: "Just as the birds' arrival brought on lots of chicken jokes, so did their demise." The military's top officer for chemical and biological defense said the birds were part of a well-intentioned but poorly implemented plan. Brigadier General Steve Reeves said it was discovered that some nerve agents would kill a human before harming a small animal, and that feathers could protect chickens from certain deadly gases. "We've suggested this may not be such a good idea," he said. "Operation KFC" has been suspended, though media reports indicated Marines were still using chickens at various camps.

 

"Marine Chickens First Casualties of Gulf War II," Ely Daily Times, Adam Ashton, 03/14/03.
http://www.elynews.com/archives/index.inn?loc=detail&doc=/2003/March/14-827-news22.txt
"41 chickens, meant as early warning system for Marines, have died," ST. Louis Post-Dispatch, Ron Harris, March 2, 3003.

 

8. SWEDISH ANTI-SLAUGHTER ACTIVIST RELEASED
Pelle Strindlund, the activist arrested in August 2001 for "unarming"a Swedish slaughterplant, was released on March 25th after spending 6 months in prison. Mr. Strindlund and 2 other activists stayed at the slaughterplant to claim responsibility for the damage (see issue #57). He expressed no regret for his actions, stating: "I am proud of what ‘Bye Bye Meat Industry' did and I hope that it will inspire other people to take action against the uncivili[z]ed slaughter industry  that is barbaric and unnecessary in this modern time." He thanked supporters from all over the world who had sent him letters, books and flowers during his prison sentence, which was described as hard "under Swedish circumstances."

 

"Bye Bye Meat Industry Activist Pelle Strindlund Released Today," press release, 03/25/03.
http://hem.passagen.se/djurensratt/index_engelska.htm
   

 

9. VEGANPEACE ANIMAL SANCTUARY
The Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary is a permanent refuge for farmed animals, located on 4 acres in Sherborn, Ma. It is home to such famous slaughterplant escapees as Emily, the cow (see 
http://www.meat.org/cow_escapes.htm and http://www.vancouverhumanesociety.bc.ca/bookreview_nic_read_2001.html ) and Babe, the pig. (Babe, apparently pregnant when shipped to slaughter, recently gave birth to 7 piglets who are pictured with her on the site.) The sanctuary is part of the Peace Abbey, an institution founded in 1986 to "create innovative models for society that empower children and adults on the paths of nonviolence, peacemaking, and cruelty-free living." In conjunction with Farm Sanctuary, an animal rights peace memorial, "Peaceable Kingdom," designed with animal statues and bronze plaques with compassionate quotes, has been commissioned which will be located in the Los Angeles area. 

 

"Veganpeace Animal Sanctuary: Underground Railroad for Fugitive Food Production Animals,"
http://www.peaceabbey.org/sanctuary/veganpeace.htm