The National Chicken Council, which represents the "broiler" chicken
industry in the U.S., is refusing to provide animal welfare standards
to the Food Marketing Institute (FMI), which represents the
supermarket industry, and the National Council of Chain Restaurants
(NCCR) which represents the fast-food industry. PLEASE WRITE TO THE
NATIONAL CHICKEN COUNCIL TODAY AND ASK WHY THEY HAVE REFUSED TO COME
UP WITH MEANINGFUL WELFARE REFORMS to help reduce the suffering of
broiler chickens (the baby birds who represent 98% of animals
slaughtered for food in the U.S).
At a minimum, they need to stop breeding birds for fast growth (which
causes painful lameness and heart attacks), give the birds adequate
space to move about comfortably, and give the birds something to do,
such as green cabbages to peck at. Please let the National Chicken
Council know that we know they are blocking animal welfare reform and
we will take steps to alert the public. Please put pressure on the
National Chicken Council. (See UPC's letter below for more detail.)
Thank You!
CONTACT:
George Watts, President
National Chicken Council
1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 930
Washington DC 20005-2605
Ph: 202-296-2622
Fax: 202-293-4005
Email: Gwatts@ChickenUSA.org
Rlobb@ChickenUSA.org (Richard Lobb)
Below: Letter to the National Chicken Council from United Poultry
Concerns
Karen Davis, PhD, President
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405
Phone: 757-678-7875
Fax: 757-678-5070
George Watts, President
National Chicken Council
1015 15th Street, NW, Suite 930
Washington, DC 20005-2605
Dear Mr. Watts:
We understand that the National Chicken Council is refusing to
provide the Food Marketing Institute and the National Council of
Chain Restaurants (FMI/NCCR) with welfare guidelines that would
reduce the suffering of young chickens and parent flocks in your
industry. We urge you to write guidelines including the following
recommendations without further delay.
1. Ammonia Levels. Concentration of excretory ammonia gases should not
exceed 10 ppm at bird level. Ammonia gases exceeding this
concentration compromise birds' immune function and make them
susceptible to respiratory diseases and other infections, including
painful breast blisters as a result of sitting in ammonia-saturated
litter.
2. Forced Rapid Growth of broiler chickens should be stopped. This
includes genetic manipulation for fast growth characteristics, and
management and dietary promotion of abnormal growth rate. Baby
("broiler") chickens should not be kept under constant lighting or be
manipulated to eat when they are full. Broiler chickens suffer from
well-documented metabolic and skeletal problems as a result of
growing 3 to 4 times faster than normal chickens. Tibial
dyschondroplasia has risen from 1.2 percent to 49 percent in modern
broiler chickens. Birds suffer from painful lameness and abnormal
gaits. Given a choice in scientific studies, broiler chickens chose
foods laced with painkillers. Mortality of broiler chickens is said
to be 7 times that of laying hens of similar age, and at least 2
percent of broiler chickens die of heart failure, comprising millions
of birds each year. Growth potential in these birds has been exceeded
at the expense of welfare, and it's time to stop.
3. Space Allowance per Bird. The amount of space per bird should be
doubled so that broiler chickens have at least 1.5 square feet of
space per bird at 5 to 7 weeks old (preferably 2 square feet), and
parent flocks should have at least four square feet of space per
bird. The birds need exercise and space for their health and
well-being.
4. Partitions and Perches. Chicken houses should be partitioned into
units holding 80 100 birds each, with areas set apart for refuge and
rest. Space per unit should be between 200 and 300 square feet
(between 19 and 28 square meters). Chickens need refuges, as well, to
correspond to the shelter of the mother hen's wings and the shady
areas to which they would normally retreat intermittently during the
day in a normal outdoor environment. Broiler chickens and parent
flocks should be given perches to help strengthen and maintain their
feet and legs and to enable them to satisfy their need to perch and
get off the floor, thereby reducing the severe stress they are under
in the barren environment of the chicken houses.
5. Activity to Relieve Stress and Boredom. Chickens should be given
materials and objects to peck at, to occupy their time and encourage
natural pecking behavior. Materials and objects to peck at would
reduce the documented aggression of male birds in the broiler breeder
houses, including pecking at other birds' heads, which has also been
observed in the broiler houses. Birds would benefit from green
cabbages to peck at, which provide activity and nutrients without
adding fat. Birds need clean dustbathing material in order to
practice hygiene, occupy their time, and encourage normal
beak-related behaviors and social activity.
6. Mechanical Catching. Mechanized harvesters should be encouraged
and manual catching should be discouraged, to reduce injuries and
bruises in these extremely fragile birds. Perdue Farms reports
significantly reduced bruising among birds caught with mechanized
harvesters, and other studies report fewer broken bones and less
bruising when mechanical catching is used.
7. Gas Stunning. Gas stunning should replace electrical
immobilization of birds. The current method of immobilizing birds, as
opposed to stunning them (rendering them permanently pain-free and
unconscious), should be prohibited. Electrically induced paralysis is
completely cruel and inhumane. Drs. Mohan Raj, Ian Duncan, and others
urge that from a science-based welfare standpoint, birds should be
gas/killed in the transport crates, prior to shackling, with a
composition of 60 - 90 percent argon and no more than 2 percent
oxygen.
These are the minimum welfare recommendations that United Poultry
Concerns is urging The National Chicken Council to adopt and promote
on an industry-wide basis and to recommend to the FMI/NCCR without
further delay. I am enclosing a copy of our 2002 report on Poultry
Slaughter: The Need for Legislation and Elimination of Electrical
Immobilization. I look forward to your earliest possible response.
Thank you for your attention.
Sincerely,
Karen Davis, PhD
President
Phone: 757-678-7875
References are available on request.
C: Richard Lobb (Rlobb@ChickenUSA.org)
John Tyson, Tyson Foods
Robert Turley, Perdue Farms
Dr. Steven Gross, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Bruce Friedrich, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
United Poultry Concerns is a nonprofit organization that promotes the
compassionate and respectful treatment of domestic fowl. For more
information visit www.UPC-online.org.
United Poultry Concerns. 13 August 2002
United Poultry Concerns, Inc.
PO Box 150
Machipongo, VA 23405-0150
757-678-7875
FAX: 757-678-5070
www.upc-online.org
(Action Alert - Please write to the National Chicken Council Today! )
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