Today I saw one of those transport trucks loaded with live hens. They were visibly shivering, cold, wet and suffering. If you haven't seen one, google 'truck transport chickens' and you'll see what I mean.
This broke my heart and made me think about the whole chicken industry, and more importantly what I buy.
Is "Free Range" what we think it is?
The chicken and egg industry have done a great job through marketing in making us beleive that this is how all hens live:
When people decide to buy and eat ethically, the words free and range are pretty important. Slap these two words on an egg carton or on the meat packaging, and people feel as though they are making a good buying decision. But are we?
Sustainable Table makes a really good point:
"In Australia and NZ there are no binding laws that define what free range actually means. As a result, accreditation bodies, of which Australia has six, apply their own definition of free range when accrediting farmers with that all important marker of ethical farming. Factors such as access to an outdoor area, stocking density, beak trimming and pasture cover, for instance, are all up for interpretation."
There are some horrible images available of high density 'free range' houses, beak trimming and what happens to the male chicks, but I'd rather focus on the positive, yeah?
What can we do?
- Look for these logos when buying eggs:
- Beware of clever marketing campaigns and packaging imagery. The picture on the egg carton could be the first ray of sunshine or blade of green grass the hen or egg has ever come close to.
- Check out the Sustainable Table Free Range Egg and Chicken Guide.
- Get your own chookies. They make domestic pets, and 3 or 4 can provide your family plenty of eggs.
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| Thanks to www.freerangefarmers.com.au for these images. |
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