“Easier and cheaper”

Press, 21 October 1977, Page 13

“Easier and cheaper”

Almost every egg pro-* ducer in the Canterbury area practises battery-hen farming — and if this system was outlawed, eggs might become a luxury. Few poultry farmers would be willing to return to free-range; commercial production would drop; eggs would have to be imported; and this would not be an economically viable proposition. Mrs J.E. Hopkins, of the Bromley Poultry Farm, has been a poultry farmer for 35 years. She switched from free-range to batteryhen farming about 15 years ago. Mrs Hopkins says that it would be uneconomical for her to return to free-range farming, mainly because of the high-class management

needed and the increased labour costs. “There would be a lot more work involved, having to clean out the shed all the time and having to feed the hens by hand. There is also a larger number of broken and dirty eggs, and a higher risk of disease among the hens when they are on the floor.” Mrs Hopkins says that battery-hens are easier to manage because the shed is cleaned out and the birds are fed automatically. The eggs stay clean and there is little chance of breakages. “The hens are not packed tightly in the cages — maybe only two or three to a cage — and they are put there as soon

as they are a day old so there is little chance of them fighting. “If one in the cage dies, it is not replaced by another one so fighting cannot occur. They may lose their feathers, but this is usually by putting their heads through the cage bars to feed. Anyway, the hens must be contented in the cages, otherwise they wouldn’t lay.” Poultry farmers must ensure that the battery birds are kept in a suitable temperature and have an ideal amount of food and water. According to a spokesman for the poultry advisory department of the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, battery hens are looked after extremely well on most Canterbury poultry farms. The inspector of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Mr R. Evans) says that he has never received any complaints about the treatment of battery hens. However, the senior livestock officer at the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries (Mr N. O’Brien) says that although he has never received any complaints, “some people, especially those who live in town and have never seen animals being brought up in this environment, are ina dined to get emotional about the battery-hen situation.” If battery-hen farming was outlawed in New Zealand and eggs were imported, a similar situation might arise here as has happened in two European countries —• a drop in commercial production and the importation of eggs that have come out of battery cages. — Vanessa Ferguson.