There is no escaping at the moment the idea of the responsible food consumer, both in terms of the environment and animal welfare, and particularly regarding chickens!
Therefore, I thought that I would let you know about a rather interesting trip I went on last weekend. I went with my mum to collect the chickens that she was rescuing and taking back to live in her garden in Greater London. The initiative is all part of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust The charity rescues battery hens from farms, prior to their slaughter, and rehomes them with members of the public.
My mum’s new chickens are currently somewhat feather bare, have some difficulty in walking and their combs look a bit worse for wear. Nevertheless, it will apparently not take too long for the hens to get back to full fitness, and they will still lay eggs. The most poignant thing is that, as they are used to being incarcerated in such small cages, they currently huddle together, but again this will change in time, and they clearly seem happier in their new home.
I think this scheme really works – it is a way to help improve animal welfare and bring environmental benefits (the hens are still laying eggs and therefore saving on transport costs to supermarkets) into the increasingly urbanised areas in which we live.
The long term aim of the charity is to diminish consumer demand for battery eggs whilst at the same time promoting British farmers using welfare friendly systems. This pro-industry policy is a vital element in ensuring the future is free range, with the consumer themselves taking responsibility for hen welfare. However, there is still only so much that the consumer can do, they can buy free range eggs, but what about all the other foods that contain egg products, such as mayonnaise and cakes? The food industry needs to make a stand in providing free range versions of their food products, giving consumers the choice to influence producer supply based on the products they purchase.
Therefore, I thought that I would let you know about a rather interesting trip I went on last weekend. I went with my mum to collect the chickens that she was rescuing and taking back to live in her garden in Greater London. The initiative is all part of the Battery Hen Welfare Trust The charity rescues battery hens from farms, prior to their slaughter, and rehomes them with members of the public.
My mum’s new chickens are currently somewhat feather bare, have some difficulty in walking and their combs look a bit worse for wear. Nevertheless, it will apparently not take too long for the hens to get back to full fitness, and they will still lay eggs. The most poignant thing is that, as they are used to being incarcerated in such small cages, they currently huddle together, but again this will change in time, and they clearly seem happier in their new home.
I think this scheme really works – it is a way to help improve animal welfare and bring environmental benefits (the hens are still laying eggs and therefore saving on transport costs to supermarkets) into the increasingly urbanised areas in which we live.
The long term aim of the charity is to diminish consumer demand for battery eggs whilst at the same time promoting British farmers using welfare friendly systems. This pro-industry policy is a vital element in ensuring the future is free range, with the consumer themselves taking responsibility for hen welfare. However, there is still only so much that the consumer can do, they can buy free range eggs, but what about all the other foods that contain egg products, such as mayonnaise and cakes? The food industry needs to make a stand in providing free range versions of their food products, giving consumers the choice to influence producer supply based on the products they purchase.
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