Organic Farms
Animal Welfare
The second issue I want to tackle is animal welfare, intensive
methods of farming animals have lead again to great increases
in productivity. But there is a price to pay in terms of animal
welfare. The way that animals are treated is totally different
in organic farming
compared with intensive farming. Organic regulations have strict
guidelines regarding the way animals are kept, transported, fed,
bred, treated when ill - the satisfaction of all the animals
needs including their behavioural needs.
Chickens - Organic Farms v Intensive Farms
Lets start with poultry, chickens that are kept for slaughtering
are housed in sheds. There are up to 25,000 birds in one shed,
and they are very very tightly packed in so much so that the
floor is invisible. The birds are under so much stress etc around
100,000 birds die every day from heart failure, disease and afflictions
cause by intensive farming methods. The cock birds that are used
to bread broiler chickens are kept in a state of chronic hunger
and this hunger heightens their aggression and causes feather
pecking. Because of this pecking farmers sometimes clip off the
male birds beak. About a third of the beak is clipped using a
hot wire guillotine, this alone can cause the birds to die of
shock straight away. The birds that do survive suffer for months,
even years to come because the nerves in the beak are still active.
The cock birds are also kept in semi-darkness to stop aggression
and feather pecking. Intensive methods also use many different
types of drugs to stop and treat illness, even if the birds are
not ill they still get the drugs. These different kinds of drugs
can on their own cause more illnesses in the birds.
Birds that are kept for eggs spend their lives in very small
cages, each chicken lives in an area the size of an A4 sheet
of paper - and sometimes even less! Turkeys are also kept in
similar conditions to intensively farmed broiler chickens, they
too suffer much the same way. Due to overcrowding, a lack of
dry litter and aggressive behaviour.
Organic farms are required to practice high standards of animal
husbandry. Organic farms house birds in exceptionally low densities,
this stops the aggressive behaviour and feather pecking. But
if feather pecking does still happen organic farmers find some
other way of resolving this issue, like hanging up some cauliflowers
so they peck at that instead. But if the housing of the birds
is good then serious feather pecking almost never happens. The
birds are allowed to roam free indulging in their natural behaviour
such as eating grass, pecking at insects, bathing in dust, laying
their eggs in nest boxes in quiet surroundings, spending daylight
hours outside, and all the other natural needs of a bird. Good
management and good nutrition keeps the birds healthy, instead
of a cocktail of drugs.
Eggs - Organic Farms v Intensive Farms
Lets discuss eggs next - what is the difference between organic
and 'free range' farmed eggs you ask, well here are some answers.
There are specific EU regulations for both kind of farming methods.
Organic and 'free range' egg farming regulations stipulate among
other things the sizes of the flock, how many hens should share
a nest and stocking densities. They also must have access to
the outside. However organic regulations compared with 'free
range' regulations go further in a number of inportant ways.
Also you should make sure that you are not mislead in the supermarket/shop,
eggs labelled as 'fresh country eggs', 'farm fresh eggs' and
similar statements are not free range, so don't assume they are.
Organic faming regulations stipulate that the flock size and
stocking densities must be even smaller than 'free range', this
helps to keep the birds healthier and less stressed. As I mentioned
in another artical feather pecking can be a direct result of
high flock sizes and stocking densities, which can result in
the birds being seriously injured and even killed. Beak trimming
is a common practice even in 'free range' farms and this is a
barbaric way of stopping the birds pecking at each other. Also
can somtimes lead to death because of shock, or months, even
years of suffering due to the amount of nerves in their beak.
Organic farms that have been certified by the Soil Association
have to provide more exits from the hen house (pop holes) than
'free range' farms do, this ensures that their access to pasture
is not restricted. Also generally speaking if they are kept in
larger flocks less birds tend to go outside.
Organic Farming Pages - Topics & Content
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Organic Farms Page 1
For and Against Organic Farming - advantages and disadvantages
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Organic Farms Page 2:
Animal Welfare
Chickens - Organic Farms v Intensive Farms
Eggs - Organic Farms v Intensive Farms
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Organic Farms Page 3:
Pigs - Organic Farms v Intensive Farms
Homeopathy used in Organic Farms
Arguements Against Organic farms
Organic Lettuce - E. Coli Debate
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Organic Farms Page 4:
Antibiotics used in Intensive Farms
Regulatory Muddle
The sources of Contamination
Which eggs are affected?
Monitoring
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Organic Farms Page 5:
Antibiotic Residues and our Health
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Organic Farms Page 6:
Key Recommendations - Bans and Restrictions:
Key Recommendations - The Veterinary Profession
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Organic Farms Page 7:
Food Quality and your Health
Antibiotic use is cut in organic farming
GMO's banned in organic farming
BSE - organically reared or born cattle are BSE free
Food poisoning risks are minimised by using organic standards
and methods
Organic farming nurtures the soil
Organic farming returns nutrients to the soil
Organic farming rotates crops
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