Animal welfare advocates call for a rethink in poultry production
Swiss animal welfare organisations are calling for a fundamental rethink in poultry meat and egg production. Current conditions are untenable.
Extreme high-performance breeding in poultry meat and egg production causes serious physical harm to the animals.
A study by the University of Bern found that 97% of laying hens have a broken breastbone. From the perspective of the Swiss Animal Protection STS, a change of direction in poultry breeding is urgently needed to alleviate animal suffering: slower-growing breeds for broiler chickens and a lower laying rate for laying hens. This is also demanded by two motions submitted to the National Council.
The cause of broken breastbones in laying hens is the reduced calcium supply resulting from high-performance breeding — calcium being essential for eggshell formation and bone development. On average, a high-performance laying hen lays one egg per day. With a more animal-friendly laying rate, fewer fractures would be expected, the animals would be healthier and experience less pain. Excessively fast-growing broiler chickens are already ready for slaughter at just over 30 days of age, at which point they are sometimes unable to walk and frequently suffer from cardiovascular problems. This high-performance breeding in poultry production is standardised worldwide; Switzerland is entirely dependent on foreign breeding companies. Unlike all other livestock species, there are no longer any national breeding programmes for poultry.
Raising awareness among consumers
From an animal welfare perspective, the direction of development in poultry breeding is questionable to unacceptable. The productivity demanded of these animals must be brought within limits that are tolerable for them.
Cesare Sciarra, Executive Director of the Competence Centre for Farm Animals at Swiss Animal Protection STS
To raise consumer awareness about the problematic state of poultry farming today, Sciarra proposes a joint communications offensive involving animal welfare organizations, retailers, the food service industry, livestock keepers, and the processing sector. On the producer side, initial positive signs of a shift in thinking are emerging, and these must be actively encouraged.
Federal Council sidesteps the issue
Two motions are soon to be debated in the National Council, calling for the highly intensive egg and poultry meat production industry to be steered more strongly toward animal welfare. National Councillor Martina Munz (SP/SH), a member of the Central Board of the Swiss Animal Protection STS, wants the federal government to quickly take action on poultry breeding to ensure animal-friendly egg and poultry meat production. In its response, the Federal Council states that through “adjustments to breeding goals in recent years, a significant improvement in the health of broiler chickens has been achieved”.
A conclusion that is too superficial and, from the perspective of Swiss Animal Protection STS, fails to reflect the current problematic situation in poultry farming. National Councillor Meret Schneider (Greens/ZH) is calling for an amendment to the Animal Welfare Act to ban torture breeding in broiler chicken farming. The Federal Council has recommended that her motion be rejected.
