Fwd: [McLibel] 'Disgrace' of UK's factory chicken farms - McDonald's

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>[McLibel] 'Disgrace' of UK's factory chicken farms - McDonald's

>Mon, 26 Nov 2001 13:42:25 +0000

>

>McLibel Support Campaign

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>

>25th November

>

>The first article (below) from The Observer newspaper exposes the

>outrageous

>conditions for UK factory farmed chickens raised for McDonald's and the

>meat

>industry generally. The second article is about the banning of an

>informative TV advert about these very conditions: described by the

>commentator as 'the most pressing animal welfare issue in Britain'.

>

>800 million chickens each year are crammed into grim disease-ridden broiler

>sheds (with an average space each of less than an A4-size piece of paper),

>unnaturally fattened up suffering leg injuries as a result, and killed

>after

>only 41 days. The birds are reduced to mass-produced meat machines to boost

>the profits of the companies involved, like McDonald's.

>

>This is despite the damning McLibel High Court judgment in 1997 against

>McDonald's for being 'culpably responsible for animal cruelty' which

>particularly condemned the suffering involved in broiler production.

>

>For an end to the exploitation of people, animals and the environment..

>

>McLibel Support Campaign

>

>

>_____________________________

>

>Independent on Sunday

>25 November 2001

>

> 'Disgrace' of UK's factory chicken farms

>

> What are we eating? - Campaigners and supermarkets at

> odds over welfare standards

>

> By Colin Brown, James Morrison and Geoffrey Lean

>

> 25 November 2001

>

> All but one of Britain's main supermarket chains are ignoring

> Government guidelines for the breeding of chickens used in

> their products, according to an RSPCA survey.

>

> The survey found that Asda, Safeway, Tesco, Waitrose, the

> Co-op and fast food chain McDonald's insist that their so-called

> " broiler " chicken products comply with the Assured Chicken

> Producers standard for the industry. But this still allows the

> birds to be intensively farmed in sheds at a density of up to 19

> per sq.m. (11 sq.ft.).

>

> Meanwhile, Elliot Morley, the animal health minister, is to push

> for an EU directive to impose tougher standards on chicken

> " factory farms " and will raise the issue next month with his EU

> counterparts. He told the IoS: " We are determined to get a new

> directive to improve conditions for chickens throughout

> Europe. "

>

> The UK survey found that, of the companies questioned, only

> Marks & Spencer met the Government's guidelines, which

> recommend a maximum density of 17 chickens per sq.m.

> Iceland said it required the ACP standard and carried out

> audits. Sainsbury's required ACP standards and refused to

> accept poultry given repeated therapeutic veterinary medicines

> without investigation. Kentucky Fried Chicken refused to fill in

> the questionnaire.

>

> Despite generally failing to comply with Government

> recommendations, many of the companies questioned do offer

> some poultry raised to higher standards, whether organically,

> as free range or using the RSPCA's own " freedom " system.

>

> The RSPCA is demanding that the breeding limit be reduced to

> around 15 birds per sq.m. One of the authors of the report,

> Caroline Le Sueur, said: " We want to see pressure put on the

> supermarkets to change the practices on farms. "

>

> UK ministers are to press the EU to speed up the introduction

> of what will be the first regulations to clamp down on conditions

> across the Continent. They argue that broiler chickens are the

> one major area of intensive livestock production not so far

> covered by the programme of EU animal welfare standards.

>

> The Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is

> also going ahead with a study into how broilers go lame when

> they are only a few weeks old because their bodies grow too

> big for their legs, and they have no room to exercise.

>

> The European Commission has confirmed that it will table a

> directive, acting on last year's report which recommended the

> " stocking density " in broiler sheds should be reduced to a

> maximum of 30kg, or 65lb, per sq.m. – 8kg less than is the

> norm in Britain. But pressure group Compassion in World

> Farming wants the UK to go further. Director Peter

> Stevensonsaid: " It's a disgrace that we have this huge industry

> that, in welfare terms, is under-regulated. I would like to see

> the minister both push for swift action in Brussels and lead the

> way over here, if possible by introducing our own legislation

> first. "

>

> An estimated 99 per cent of the 800 million chickens

> slaughtered each year in Britain for their meat are

> " factory-farmed " , in densities of 40,000 per shed and 18-19 per

> sq.m. In contrast, 30 per cent of those bred in France are free

> range.

>

> British broilers are selectively bred to a weight of 2-2.5kg in just

> 41 days, by effectively being force-fed on high-energy cereal

> grains. Back in the early 1960s, when the post-war intensive

> farming boom was still in its infancy, it took 84 days for such

> chickens to reach the same weight.

>

>

>___________________________

>

>

>RSPCA's chickens advert is banned as 'political'

>

> By Michael McCarthy, Environment Editor

>

> 23 November 2001

>

> It may be the most pressing animal welfare issue in Britain –

> but you won't be hearing about it on television just yet. An RSPCA

> advertisement claiming that millions of British broiler chickens

> undergo suffering on a massive scale while being bred for their

> meat has been banned.

>

>The advert, highlighting the pain and discomfort that the

> RSPCA alleges 820 million broilers suffer in their six-week lives

> every year, was deemed as unsuitable for showing by the

> Broadcast Advertising Clearance Centre (Bacc), the body that

> advises the television companies on the acceptability of their

> advertising.

>

> The advertisement, now to be shown only in cinemas, was set

> to accompany the launch yesterday of a campaign on broilers

> by the society. The RSPCA says that despite advances in

> animal welfare, millions of these chickens still routinely endure

> a catalogue of illness before they are slaughtered. The

> illnesses range from sudden heart failure to leg pain, and from

> ammonia burns to skin infections.

>

> The Bacc found the advertisement, which compared the

> speeded-up life of a broiler chicken, specially bred to put on

> weight quickly, with that of a " normal " egg-laying hen, was in

> breach of rule 10 of the Independent Television Commission's

> advertising code. This lays down that " no advertisement may

> be directed towards any political end " , and continues: " The

> term 'political' ... precludes, for example, issue campaigning for

> the purposes of influencing legislation or executive action by

> central or local government. "

>

> Bacc's controller, Tony Kingsbury, said in a letter to the

> RSPCA's director of communication, John Rolls: " It is our

> opinion that the commercial is designed to influence public

> opinion in an area of controversy – namely the way in which

> chickens are bred for fast-food outlets. "

>

> Mr Rolls condemned the decision as " absolutely ridiculous " .

> He said: " We thought it was quite extraordinary that we could

> not put this on television. We should be able to raise issues

> about how animals are kept, otherwise the diet of adverts on

> TV would only be promoting products. There should be an open

> debate about animal welfare or any other issue. It is far too

> narrow at the moment. "

>

> Chicken is now by far Britain's most popular meat. As a result,

> the society says, broiler suffering is one of the most pressing

> animal welfare issues in the UK. It has listed the miseries that

> it says the birds undergo, and is urging people to transform the

> lives of chickens by insisting that supermarkets demand

> improved welfare standards from their suppliers.

>

> Caroline Le Sueur, the RSPCA's senior scientific officer, said:

> " Consumers have traditionally been largely unaware of the

> suffering, but now they have a vital role to play in improving the

> lives of the birds. Shoppers can influence animal welfare

> standards by the food they choose and the pressure they put

> on retailers to demand an end to systematic cruelty. "

>

> Yesterday the National Farmers' Union disputed the RSPCA's

> claims. An NFU spokeswoman said: " UK poultry breeders have

> worked tirelessly and successfully over the past decade to

> dramatically reduce the incidence of heart attacks and

> lameness in broiler chickens, so we are disappointed that the

> RSPCA has now chosen to write this report based on historical

> data regarding bird welfare.

>

> " UK poultry farmers operate to some of the highest standards

> of animal welfare in the world. Most broiler chickens are reared

> in housing where they are free to feed, drink and wander in a

> temperature controlled climate.

>

> " These types of houses are electrically lit and floors are usually

> covered with straw or shavings.

>

> " The European Commission has already expressed an interest

> in introducing a minimum standard of animal welfare within the

> broiler sector across Europe, which the NFU would support. "

>

>

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