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RSPCA divided on caged chooks
23 Mar 2004
The RSPCA's position on the chicken industry, as stated by its national head Hugh Wirth, is that no animal should be kept confined too closely so that it can't perform its natural behaviours. To date, the RSPCA has given its approval to 35 barn-laid egg-laying facilities, and to one free-range operation. The RSPCA's official position is that it is opposed to caged facilities, even the new generation such as the Pace Farm at West Wyalong.
But the organisation is facing a major split on the issue, with the NSW branch declaring caged facilities to be acceptable. The renegade NSW statement, which was removed from the national web site, said that cages permit more effective control of animal disease. It also said that improvements in bird comfort have been achieved by changes in the design of sheds. But it conceded that while osteoporosis is clearly a problem in highly productive hens in all housing systems, it is more severe in caged hens.
Sydney Morning Herald, 23/3/04.
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