Cage rage over “flawed” EU survey
Top level protests have been issued over an EU consumer consultation which has reported a desperately bleak view of poultry welfare.
The internet survey, which asked about the conditions in which a variety of farm animals are kept, resulted in poultry being placed at the bottom of the welfare league. Even animals being reared for the fur trade fare better.
More than three quarters of people who responded believed laying hens were kept in very poor or poor conditions. Only one category was rated worse and that was broilers.
The findings have emerged from a survey organised by the Community Action Plan on Animal Welfare and Protection. Over 44,000 people from 31 different countries responded to the research with almost a quarter of respondents coming from Germany and less than 6 per cent from the UK.
But the poultry industry has lodged a formal protest with Markos Kyprianou, the health and consumer protection commissioner, over the way the survey was conducted.
Mark Williams, chief executive of the British Egg Industry Council, has told members “we believe this survey was flawed.” He points out that as there was no way of identifying respondents then individuals or organisations may have made multiple responses.
In his capacity as secretary general of EUWEP, the organisation representing European poultry producers, Mr Williams has told the commissioner of “grave concerns” about the manner in which the survey was managed “which calls into question the validity of the consultation.”
The results show that the majority of those who responded (64 per cent) rated the current level of farm animal welfare in the EU as very poor or poor.
When asked what level of welfare/protection they believed applied to specific types of animals least concern was expressed about dairy cows, sheep, goats, horses and farmed fish.
But a majority of respondents rated conditions as poor or very poor for beef cattle, calves, pigs, turkeys, ducks and geese.
A total of 76 per cent rated laying hen welfare as poor or very poor and 78 per cent gave the same rating to broilers. The figure for animals reared for fur was 72 per cent.
Asked if action was needed to improve conditions on farms a thumping 78 per cent responded “yes, certainly.” Add in those who opted for “yes probably” and the total reaches 88 per cent.
Over 85 per cent believed that something should be done to improve the welfare of laying hens and broilers.
No specific questions were asked about alternative systems for poultry so it must be assumed that the massive negative response to hen welfare is directed entirely at cages.
This is a view supported by the fact that asked what factors were important in improving welfare over 8 out of 10 consumers said animals should have access to the outside, be exposed to natural light and be able to display natural behaviour (such as chickens dust-bathing).
The majority of people were convinced that better welfare standards would result in better food safety, better food quality, better animal health and more ethically acceptable products. More than 70 per cent also believed that higher standards would lead to better taste.
It is unclear how much impact such findings will have on future EU decisions, particularly about cages.
But there are also views expressed that some free range producers may find uncomfortable. More than 8 out of 10 people, for example, believed it was important that animals should not be subjected to “mutilations” such as beak-trimming.
