2012 is a long time away. Yet, nice to see these changes will be made.
Article:
EU confirms 2012 date for ban on raising hens in small battery cages
http://www.pr-inside.com/eu-confirms-2012-date-for-ban-r376460.htm
BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A European Union-wide ban on keeping laying hens in small battery cages will come into force as planned in 2012, the European Commission said Tuesday.
The commission pointed to a new report showing the ban will benefit animal welfare benefits without significantly harming farmers' incomes.
«There is scientific and economic support for
the ban on conventional battery cages,» said EU Health Commissioner Markos Kyprianou. «We are maintaining the deadline of 2012.
EU nations agreed in 1999 to phase out the cages by Jan. 1, 2012, after lengthy campaign by animal rights groups who claimed that farming hens in small cages was cruel.
After the deadline, laying hens will have be raised in the open air or barns, or be kept in cages of at least 750 square centimeters (116.28 sq. inches) per bird equipped with a nest, litter, perch and clawing board.
In a statement, the European Commission cited a report which said that cost of switching to the so-called «enriched cages» could be less than 1 percent per egg. The EU's executive branch said improving conditions for hens could boost sales, as consumers are increasingly concerned about animal welfare.
Animal rights campaigners welcomed the statement.
«This is the right decision for the welfare of millions of hens kept for egg production across Europe,» said Sonja Van Tichelen, director of the Eurogroup for Animals.
The Brussels-based federation of animal welfare organizations said some battery hens are currently kept in wire cages no bigger than a sheet of typing paper.
Some leading supermarket chains in Britain announced last week they were planning to phase out sales of eggs from battery hens before the ban.
Showing posts with label battery hens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label battery hens. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
Famous Chefs Joining Effort to Raise the Standards of Chicken Production
An important move. Let’s hope that celebrity status will help lead to the change they seek.
Article:
Inside the battery chicken sheds
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7178254.stm
By Chris Impey
Farming Today, BBC Radio 4
Farmers have defended their poultry farming techniques
A concerted campaign to raise the standards of chicken production has been launched by celebrity chefs, the RSPCA and the animal rights group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF).
They're trying to persuade shoppers that intensively-reared chicken meat and eggs affect animal welfare, and must be changed.
Broiler chickens are birds that have been selectively bred and reared for their meat rather than eggs.
The industry began in the late 1950s. About 75% of the world's food animals are broiler chickens and some 200 billion are produced annually - 800 million of them in the UK.
Windowless sheds
This huge demand for poultry has meant that over the last 60 years commercial breeding has grown in scale.
The farming takes place in large and usually windowless sheds, often containing tens of thousands of birds which have been bred to grow more quickly: typically a broiler reaches a finished weight of 2.5kg within nine weeks. It's sold in the shops for a price of around £2.50.
I hope it will stimulate the industry in[to] being more pro-active in getting over what we're doing better to the consumer
Charles Bournes
NFU
Animal welfare lobbyists argue that as a result of a lack of space and quick growing, the birds are prone to lameness as well as heart and respiratory problems.
CIWF claims that one in 20 broilers dies because of a heart attack. And, they say, birds can be left to go hungry, suffer stress and unsanitary conditions.
There's also been fierce criticism of battery egg production, where producing birds are housed in small cages.
An EU regulation due in 2012 will see the banning of such practices with larger cages such as a perch and litter being introduced.
Many supermarkets have already banned or are about to ban battery eggs from their shelves.
'Misleading the public'
But British farmers have fiercely defended their farming methods in the wake of such criticism.
The British Poultry Council says it believes the campaign will mislead the public and maintains that its own standards are high, and protect animal welfare.
Chef Jamie Oliver is raising awareness of chicken production
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme, poultry producer Nigel Joice, who with 800,000 birds runs one of the country's largest indoor operations, was adamant that his poultry were well cared for.
With seven staff employed to monitor the birds, he said welfare was the number one consideration on his farm and that the CIWF figure of one in 20 deaths being caused by heart stress was "absolute rubbish". He said the mortality rate of his flock was just 1%.
But the poultry spokesman for the National Farmers Union, Charles Bournes, believes the campaign is actually a wake-up call for the industry.
He told Farming Today: "I hope it will stimulate the industry in[to] being more pro-active in getting over what we're doing better to the consumer, and to let the public know that if [it] wants improved breeding systems, then it's going to have to pay for it."
Article:
Inside the battery chicken sheds
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/7178254.stm
By Chris Impey
Farming Today, BBC Radio 4
Farmers have defended their poultry farming techniques
A concerted campaign to raise the standards of chicken production has been launched by celebrity chefs, the RSPCA and the animal rights group Compassion in World Farming (CIWF).
They're trying to persuade shoppers that intensively-reared chicken meat and eggs affect animal welfare, and must be changed.
Broiler chickens are birds that have been selectively bred and reared for their meat rather than eggs.
The industry began in the late 1950s. About 75% of the world's food animals are broiler chickens and some 200 billion are produced annually - 800 million of them in the UK.
Windowless sheds
This huge demand for poultry has meant that over the last 60 years commercial breeding has grown in scale.
The farming takes place in large and usually windowless sheds, often containing tens of thousands of birds which have been bred to grow more quickly: typically a broiler reaches a finished weight of 2.5kg within nine weeks. It's sold in the shops for a price of around £2.50.
I hope it will stimulate the industry in[to] being more pro-active in getting over what we're doing better to the consumer
Charles Bournes
NFU
Animal welfare lobbyists argue that as a result of a lack of space and quick growing, the birds are prone to lameness as well as heart and respiratory problems.
CIWF claims that one in 20 broilers dies because of a heart attack. And, they say, birds can be left to go hungry, suffer stress and unsanitary conditions.
There's also been fierce criticism of battery egg production, where producing birds are housed in small cages.
An EU regulation due in 2012 will see the banning of such practices with larger cages such as a perch and litter being introduced.
Many supermarkets have already banned or are about to ban battery eggs from their shelves.
'Misleading the public'
But British farmers have fiercely defended their farming methods in the wake of such criticism.
The British Poultry Council says it believes the campaign will mislead the public and maintains that its own standards are high, and protect animal welfare.
Chef Jamie Oliver is raising awareness of chicken production
Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Farming Today programme, poultry producer Nigel Joice, who with 800,000 birds runs one of the country's largest indoor operations, was adamant that his poultry were well cared for.
With seven staff employed to monitor the birds, he said welfare was the number one consideration on his farm and that the CIWF figure of one in 20 deaths being caused by heart stress was "absolute rubbish". He said the mortality rate of his flock was just 1%.
But the poultry spokesman for the National Farmers Union, Charles Bournes, believes the campaign is actually a wake-up call for the industry.
He told Farming Today: "I hope it will stimulate the industry in[to] being more pro-active in getting over what we're doing better to the consumer, and to let the public know that if [it] wants improved breeding systems, then it's going to have to pay for it."
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Morningstar Farms Commits to Using Fewer Eggs and More Egg-Free Products
Very important move. We’ll see if this stands over time. Seems they will move to a greater commitment to vegan products.
Article:
Morningstar Farms Responds to Demand for Egg-Free Foods
Company commits to using one million fewer eggs in 2008
http://sev.prnewswire.com/food-beverages/
20071212/DC0968812122007-1.html
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Morningstar Farms, a Kellogg subsidiary that has been making vegetarian products for more than 25 years, has stated it will use one million fewer eggs in 2008 while also offering more egg-free products.
According to company spokeswoman Kathleen Eckler, in 2008 "Kellogg is reducing the amount of eggs we use in our Morningstar products by a minimum of one million eggs. We're committed to announcing even more new vegan products for our customers."
After months of discussion on the topic with the Michigan-based company, Compassion Over Killing (COK) and Vegan Outreach, two nonprofit animal protection organizations, wholeheartedly applaud Morningstar Farms for implementing this policy. By reducing Kellogg's egg usage by more than a million eggs per year, nearly 4,000 fewer laying hens will suffer in factory farms each year.
"A growing number of consumers are choosing egg-free foods as a way to protect their health and protect animals," says COK's executive director Erica Meier. "We applaud Morningstar Farms for committing to offer more vegan items, and we encourage other companies to follow its compassionate lead."
More than 95% of eggs produced in the U.S. come from hens confined inside barren wire battery cages so restrictive, the birds can barely even move, let alone engage in many of their most natural behaviors including spreading their wings, perching, or walking. Battery-caged hens are typically provided with a meager 67 square inches of space in which to live -- that's less floor space than the size of one sheet of notebook paper.
Jack Norris, RD, president of Vegan Outreach, commented, "Consumers asked Morningstar Farms to remove eggs from its products, and the company heeded their call. Vegan Outreach is pleased to congratulate Kellogg on this important humane move."
Morningstar Farms has long been a leader in supplying vegetarian products sold in grocery stores nationwide. Its decision to use fewer eggs and create more vegan products further demonstrates the company's leadership in offering healthier and more humane food choices in the marketplace.
Compassion Over Killing (COK) is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture through undercover investigations, public outreach, litigation, and other advocacy programs. On the web at COK.net.
Vegan Outreach is a national nonprofit advocacy group. Since 1993, Vegan Outreach has been on the cutting-edge of grassroots advocacy against cruelty to animals. Distribution of Vegan Outreach literature exposes these animals' suffering -- otherwise hidden in factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses -- while promoting more compassionate, humane choices. On the web at VeganOutreach.org.
Website: http://www.cok.net/
Website: http://www.veganoutreach.org/
Article:
Morningstar Farms Responds to Demand for Egg-Free Foods
Company commits to using one million fewer eggs in 2008
http://sev.prnewswire.com/food-beverages/
20071212/DC0968812122007-1.html
WASHINGTON, Dec. 12 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Morningstar Farms, a Kellogg subsidiary that has been making vegetarian products for more than 25 years, has stated it will use one million fewer eggs in 2008 while also offering more egg-free products.
According to company spokeswoman Kathleen Eckler, in 2008 "Kellogg is reducing the amount of eggs we use in our Morningstar products by a minimum of one million eggs. We're committed to announcing even more new vegan products for our customers."
After months of discussion on the topic with the Michigan-based company, Compassion Over Killing (COK) and Vegan Outreach, two nonprofit animal protection organizations, wholeheartedly applaud Morningstar Farms for implementing this policy. By reducing Kellogg's egg usage by more than a million eggs per year, nearly 4,000 fewer laying hens will suffer in factory farms each year.
"A growing number of consumers are choosing egg-free foods as a way to protect their health and protect animals," says COK's executive director Erica Meier. "We applaud Morningstar Farms for committing to offer more vegan items, and we encourage other companies to follow its compassionate lead."
More than 95% of eggs produced in the U.S. come from hens confined inside barren wire battery cages so restrictive, the birds can barely even move, let alone engage in many of their most natural behaviors including spreading their wings, perching, or walking. Battery-caged hens are typically provided with a meager 67 square inches of space in which to live -- that's less floor space than the size of one sheet of notebook paper.
Jack Norris, RD, president of Vegan Outreach, commented, "Consumers asked Morningstar Farms to remove eggs from its products, and the company heeded their call. Vegan Outreach is pleased to congratulate Kellogg on this important humane move."
Morningstar Farms has long been a leader in supplying vegetarian products sold in grocery stores nationwide. Its decision to use fewer eggs and create more vegan products further demonstrates the company's leadership in offering healthier and more humane food choices in the marketplace.
Compassion Over Killing (COK) is a nonprofit animal advocacy organization based in Washington, D.C. Since 1995, COK has worked to end the abuse of animals in agriculture through undercover investigations, public outreach, litigation, and other advocacy programs. On the web at COK.net.
Vegan Outreach is a national nonprofit advocacy group. Since 1993, Vegan Outreach has been on the cutting-edge of grassroots advocacy against cruelty to animals. Distribution of Vegan Outreach literature exposes these animals' suffering -- otherwise hidden in factory farms and industrial slaughterhouses -- while promoting more compassionate, humane choices. On the web at VeganOutreach.org.
Website: http://www.cok.net/
Website: http://www.veganoutreach.org/
Sunday, March 04, 2007
Ask Morningstar Farms To Stop Using Eggs In Their Products: If They Insist On Continuing to Use Eggs, Ask That They At least Use Cage Free Eggs
This actually comes from COK and Vegan Outreach, but I did receive the information not too long ago from another group. COK and Vegan Outreach did an excellent job with this writing, so I’d like to pass this along. Please see the following website for more information after reading the information below - http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com
If nothing else, please at least consider switching to another product other than Morningstar Farms. Gardenburger is the main choice, as they do adhere to a policy of not using eggs for all but one of their products. For that one product, they do not use battery eggs. Here is a link to a statement by Gardenburger in relation to eggs in their products and specifically on their policy of only using cage free eggs: http://www.gardenburger.com/community/articles/index.php#No_Caged
Yet, if you do have time, there are many actions below you can take. They are all very easy, from making a simple call, to emailing a form letter.
Article:
http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com
Compassion Over Killing
and Vegan Outreach
are teaming up with compassionate people everywhere to ask
Morningstar Farms® to stop using eggs in its product line.
Morningstar Farms®, which is owned by the Kellogg® company,
is currently purchasing eggs produced by hens confined inside barren
wire battery cages. Battery caged hens are typically provided with a
meager 67 square inches of space in which to live that s less than
the size of one sheet of notebook paper. These birds are so
intensively confined for their entire lives that they are denied
their natural inclinations to spread their wings, perch, preen, or
even walk.
Morningstar Farms® has long been a leader in supplying delicious
vegetarian foods to a growing market. Let them know that the market
also wants them to remove their support from the cruel battery egg
industry. Please encourage them to join with companies like
Gardenburger®, which last year announced it has taken eggs out of all
its products except for one private-sourced item.
Take action today by submitting your comments online!
<http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com/contact-morningstar/>
Use the form in this alert or visit Morningstar-Egg-Facts.com
<http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com>
to send a letter.
Please also call Kellogg® s customer feedback hotline:
1-800-962-1413.
Hours (Eastern Standard Time):
Mon. - Thurs.: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Say: Representative.
Press 2 for product information
Press 1 for general inquiries
If nothing else, please at least consider switching to another product other than Morningstar Farms. Gardenburger is the main choice, as they do adhere to a policy of not using eggs for all but one of their products. For that one product, they do not use battery eggs. Here is a link to a statement by Gardenburger in relation to eggs in their products and specifically on their policy of only using cage free eggs: http://www.gardenburger.com/community/articles/index.php#No_Caged
Yet, if you do have time, there are many actions below you can take. They are all very easy, from making a simple call, to emailing a form letter.
Article:
http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com
Compassion Over Killing
and Vegan Outreach
are teaming up with compassionate people everywhere to ask
Morningstar Farms® to stop using eggs in its product line.
Morningstar Farms®, which is owned by the Kellogg® company,
is currently purchasing eggs produced by hens confined inside barren
wire battery cages. Battery caged hens are typically provided with a
meager 67 square inches of space in which to live that s less than
the size of one sheet of notebook paper. These birds are so
intensively confined for their entire lives that they are denied
their natural inclinations to spread their wings, perch, preen, or
even walk.
Morningstar Farms® has long been a leader in supplying delicious
vegetarian foods to a growing market. Let them know that the market
also wants them to remove their support from the cruel battery egg
industry. Please encourage them to join with companies like
Gardenburger®, which last year announced it has taken eggs out of all
its products except for one private-sourced item.
Take action today by submitting your comments online!
<http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com/contact-morningstar/>
Use the form in this alert or visit Morningstar-Egg-Facts.com
<http://www.morningstar-egg-facts.com>
to send a letter.
Please also call Kellogg® s customer feedback hotline:
1-800-962-1413.
Hours (Eastern Standard Time):
Mon. - Thurs.: 8 a.m. to 7 p.m.
Friday: 8 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Say: Representative.
Press 2 for product information
Press 1 for general inquiries
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