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End chicken shackling, says welfare group
The live shackling of chickens in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of the birds in Britain each year should cease, say government advisers on the welfare of farm animals.
The practice, which sees chickens shackled upside down by the leg so they can be stunned in electrified water before their throats are sliced by mechanised blades, is the most common method used to kill the 850 million broilers processed annually.
The Farm Animal Welfare Council, an independent body advising the government, is to call on the poultry industry to 'vigorously' address live shackling. Details of its report on the slaughter of white meat species are to be revealed at a meeting tomorrow ahead of its publication later this year.
But council member David Henderson, retired head of the division of farms and clinical studies at the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, and past president of the Sheep Veterinary Society, said: 'Live shackling is something that concerns us greatly, but unfortunately it is a necessary process for water-bath electrical stunning. We would like to see the industry address this procedure more vigorously. We would like to see it done away with over a number of years.'
Peter Stephenson of Compassion in World Farming welcomed Henderson's comments. 'It is a pretty radical message. The council are an independent body. They are cautious and conservative with a small 'c'. So when they do say there is a serious problem, they should be taken very seriously.' The live shackling of chickens in the slaughter of hundreds of millions of the birds in Britain each year should cease, say government... more -
Battle Against Bird Flu
Laura Ling looks at the battle against bird flu in Vietnam and how poor poultry farmers are dealing with having to kill their chickens. Laura Ling looks at the battle against bird flu in Vietnam and how poor poultry farmers are dealing with having to kill their chickens... more
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Bird Flu spreads, prompts mass cull
Hong Kong ordered a mass cull of all poultry on Wednesday in a bid to stop the spread of the H5N1 virus between birds in hundreds of markets scattered across the territory. Hong Kong ordered a mass cull of all poultry on Wednesday in a bid to stop the spread of the H5N1 virus between birds in hundreds of m... more
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Bird flu hits Oxford
According to reports from the Dept. for Environment, Food an Rural Affairs, chickens on a farm in Oxfordshire have tested positive for the H7 strain of bird flu.
Although tests indicate it is not the virulent H5N1 strain, all the birds on the infected farm have been slaughtered as a precaution. According to reports from the Dept. for Environment, Food an Rural Affairs, chickens on a farm in Oxfordshire have tested positive for... more -
Safeway to make purchasing decisions on meat and eggs based on animal welfare
In light of the recalled beef news, some major animal organizations (HSUS, PETA) are making real progress to move American businesses like Safeway away from the cruelest practices in animal agriculture. Wow! I'm impressed and hopeful. In light of the recalled beef news, some major animal organizations (HSUS, PETA) are making real progress to move American businesses ... more
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Turkey Animal Facts 09/05/2007
Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop dead.> In Mexico, the turkey was considered a sacrificial bird.> Wild turkeys are the largest game birds located in this part of the world. > Male wild turkeys act much the same as peacocks when it comes to finding a mate; they puff up and spread their tail feathers to attract females. > Domestic turkeys (turkeys raised for eating) weigh twice the amount of a wild turkey; most are even too heavy to fly. > The turkey acquired its name by mistake; the English thought it was another bird that came from Africa through Turkey. The birds were not the same but the name stuck with the bird anyway. > The skin that hangs over the turkeys beak is called a snood. > The skin that hangs from the turkeys throat is called a caruncle. > Turkeys can run up to 20 miles an hour with short flight bursts up to 55 miles per hour. > Male turkeys gobble while female turkeys make a clicking sound. >Adult turkeys have about 5,000 feathers. > Most domestic turkeys love to have their feathers stroked. > A turkeys gobble can be heard up to a mile away. > The turkey is a type of pheasant. Turkeys have heart attacks. When the Air Force was conducting test runs and breaking the sound barrier, fields of turkeys would drop d... more
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