4 July 2012

An end to battery hens in the ACT

| johnboy
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rspca meme

Andrew Barr was on the ABC this morning but hasn’t seen fit to publish a media release on this.

Regardless the Greens have announced their joy at a deal to end battery cage egg production in Canberra, particularly at the Parkwood Egg Farm.

This morning the Government announced that they would purchase land from Parkwood for eventual resale as industrial land. As part of this deal, Parkwood would convert its cage egg production facility to barn egg production.

“I am delighted that the government has caught up with the strong community sentiment which has long opposed battery cage egg production,” Greens Animal Welfare spokesperson, Caroline Le Couteur, said today.

The RSPCA is also expressing satisfaction:

CEO Michael Linke said the announcement sent a strong signal that the intensive confinement of layer hens is no longer acceptable.

“This decision by the ACT Government and Pace Farms is fantastic news for hens,” said Mr Linke.

“RSPCA ACT has campaigned for this for the last 20 years and it’s great to see our hard work and commitment to animal welfare has finally paid off.”

“The Government has put animal welfare first – and that’s a welcome shift in thinking.


UPDATE 04/07/12 12:25: Minister Barr’s media release has now arrived:

The Government has reached the agreement with Pace Farm, which operates the Parkwood Farm in west Belconnen. Parkwood Farm is the only commercial egg production facility in the ACT.

The Government has agreed to purchase, for $7.5 million, a 24-hectare subdivision of Parkwood Farm that is surplus to that business’s requirements, and rezone and sell the land for industrial use. This will provide further employment opportunities in west Belconnen.

The purchase will be made on the condition that Parkwood Farm be converted from cage egg to barn egg production.

The Government and Pace Farm have been negotiating for over a year about the conversion to alternative egg production methods.


UPDATE 04/07/12 13:39: The RSPCA has facebooked the above memetic effort.

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devils_advocate said :

EvanJames said :

I don’t believe that. From quite soon, the NSW government is planning some kind of ban on the sale of regular unleaded petrol without ethanol in it.

Hahah. NSW govco has been know to get burned by the constitution from time to time. I think the AG likes to legislate to score the political points, then just say “well, it’s not my fault, the constitution is to blame” when it doesn’t work.

Either way, will be interesting to see how it pans out if such a ban were enacted.

http://smh.drive.com.au/petrol-switch-to-leave-750000-motorists-out-of-pocket-20120122-1qc96.html

They extended the phase-out of unleaded though, due to a shortage of ethanol. Be warned though, if you drive one of the many cars that can’t have any ethanol, travelling in NSW might become an interesting proposition.

http://www.mynrmacommunity.com/motoring/2012/03/08/unleaded-petrol-now-to-remain-past-2012/

devils_advocate10:25 am 06 Jul 12

Damn there be some bible-thumpers up in here on RA.

devils_advocate10:24 am 06 Jul 12

EvanJames said :

I don’t believe that. From quite soon, the NSW government is planning some kind of ban on the sale of regular unleaded petrol without ethanol in it.

Hahah. NSW govco has been know to get burned by the constitution from time to time. I think the AG likes to legislate to score the political points, then just say “well, it’s not my fault, the constitution is to blame” when it doesn’t work.

Either way, will be interesting to see how it pans out if such a ban were enacted.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

I won the internets

:golf clap:

Yeah … well done … you’ve really covered yourself in glory haven’t you?

How did it start? Complaining about the government working to ban cage eggs, wasn’t it?

Awesome stuff, you should be really proud of yourself. I know I am.

My comment was about the statement in the article from the Greens Animal Welfare Expert.

The issues started with you talking out your arse, as per usual, acting like a child (also usual behaviour for you) and then making a bigger fool of yourself than I figured any reasonable adult would be willing to while so clearly wrong.

You’d be wise to quit now before you make a bigger fool of yourself.

Mysteryman said :

I won the internets

:golf clap:

Yeah … well done … you’ve really covered yourself in glory haven’t you?

How did it start? Complaining about the government working to ban cage eggs, wasn’t it?

Awesome stuff, you should be really proud of yourself. I know I am.

Fist_is_a_verb5:32 pm 05 Jul 12

Probably be a few crazy hen’s nights coming up then…

Jim Jones said :

To be fair, you don’t care about ethics do you? The ethics or otherwise of cage eggs doesn’t matter to you: it’s all about how ‘out of touch’ the government is to be even considering doing something about the issue and the ethics of the issue itself be damned.

Very Christian behaviour indeed.

If Jesus actually did exist, I’d warrant he’d be vomiting blood at this kind of attitude.

So you couldn’t find a single example? That would be because you’re simply making things up. Again. I never said the things you claimed I did, did I? No. It’s the usual Jim Jones behaviour – put words in someone else’s mouth and berate them for things they never said. Hardly the work of an intellectual.

I laughed quite hard at the attempt to lecture me on ethics and Christianity, too. It was a rather poor attempt to mask the fact that you’re wrong, and you got called out on it. Better luck next time. You’ll be pleased to know that the irony of you acting like a 5 year old and then criticising someone else’s behaviour, wasn’t lost on me.

Jim Jones said :

To be fair, you don’t care about ethics do you? The ethics or otherwise of cage eggs doesn’t matter to you: it’s all about how ‘out of touch’ the government is to be even considering doing something about the issue and the ethics of the issue itself be damned.

Very Christian behaviour indeed.

If Jesus actually did exist, I’d warrant he’d be vomiting blood at this kind of attitude.

“A righteous man cares for the needs of his animal, but the kindest acts of the wicked are cruel” (Proverbs 12:10)

“Be sure you know the condition of your flocks, give careful attention to your herds.”
(Proverbs 27:23)

IF anybody calls themselves a christian but buys cage eggs, then they are not a real christian at all, but a hypocrite.

I call Godwin’s law in about…. 5 posts.

To be fair, you don’t care about ethics do you? The ethics or otherwise of cage eggs doesn’t matter to you: it’s all about how ‘out of touch’ the government is to be even considering doing something about the issue and the ethics of the issue itself be damned.

Very Christian behaviour indeed.

If Jesus actually did exist, I’d warrant he’d be vomiting blood at this kind of attitude.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

HenryBG doesn’t like muslims therefore banning cage eggs is completely ethical

Genius! You must have been on the school debating team.

Speaking of genius… find for me EXACTLY where in this thread it was that I said cage eggs are ethical. Copy and paste the words, if you would. Not where you inferred it, or where you fabricated the argument. Find where *I* said it.

Go on.

Mysteryman said :

HenryBG doesn’t like muslims therefore banning cage eggs is completely ethical

Genius! You must have been on the school debating team.

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

waaaaaaaaaaaaah

Although I should know better by now, I’m disappointed at how quickly you retreated to your default position of “my attempts to misrepresent people have failed so I’ll act like a 5 year old instead”.

Mysteryman said :

HenryBG said :

Mysteryman said :

The ACT Government doesn’t appear to be at all in touch with its constituency.

An assertion based on no evidence.
Cage eggs are completely unethical. Obviously we can’t rely on bogans to participate in ethical choices, so on this ethical issue there’s no point being in touch with what the selfish, thieving bogans think.

I think your contributions to the Mosque thread relieve you of any credibility you may have had when it comes to determining who is, or is not, a bogan, and what is, or it not, ethical.

There you go – an assertion based on plenty of evidence.

Ad hominem with absolutely nothing to do with the issue being discussed.

Keep up the good work!!!

Mysteryman said :

The ACT Government doesn’t appear to be at all in touch with its constituency.

Lol. Yeah. That’s why your beloved Liberal Party will just romp it in this election and repeal the nasty legislation.

It’s honestly hard to think of a more reactionary response than the tripe you’ve served up here.

HenryBG said :

Mysteryman said :

The ACT Government doesn’t appear to be at all in touch with its constituency.

An assertion based on no evidence.
Cage eggs are completely unethical. Obviously we can’t rely on bogans to participate in ethical choices, so on this ethical issue there’s no point being in touch with what the selfish, thieving bogans think.

I think your contributions to the Mosque thread relieve you of any credibility you may have had when it comes to determining who is, or is not, a bogan, and what is, or it not, ethical.

There you go – an assertion based on plenty of evidence.

Mysteryman said :

The ACT Government doesn’t appear to be at all in touch with its constituency.

An assertion based on no evidence.
Cage eggs are completely unethical. Obviously we can’t rely on bogans to participate in ethical choices, so on this ethical issue there’s no point being in touch with what the selfish, thieving bogans think.

Mysteryman said :

waaaaaaaaaaaaah

Jim Jones said :

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

“I don’t care about this so how important can it be?”

What a statement, combining narcissistic solipsism, appalling moral reasoning and the assumption that no-one is capable of doing more than one thing at the same time.

Kudos. You’ve hit a new high.

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

How very Christian of you.

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

You seem to be very keen on cruelty to animals. Why is that?

Let’s ignore the astounding stupidity of the two of you for just a moment, and focus on what I wrote.

The ACT Government doesn’t appear to be at all in touch with its constituency.

I was going to suggest that your less-than-stellar attempts to understand what I wrote must have been quite difficult for the two of you, but it’s clear that neither of you have even made such an attempt.

2604 said :

Jethro said :

Many consumers think with their hip-pocket, not with their moral compass.

They don’t think with your moral compass, but that’s their prerogative.

If you buy cage eggs, your moral compass is broken.

devils_advocate said :

And now the government need to show some real balls and ban the sale of caged hen eggs in the ACT.

There could be *minor* constitutional issues with such a policy potentially being seen as restricting trade among the states.

I don’t believe that. From quite soon, the NSW government is planning some kind of ban on the sale of regular unleaded petrol without ethanol in it.

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

You seem to be very keen on cruelty to animals. Why is that?

And now the government need to show some real balls and ban the sale of caged hen eggs in the ACT.

Yep. And they should have seized this opportunity to do so, this is a bit of a vanilla solution.

it’s interesting to watch who buys eggs in the supermarkets. Who reaches for the free range, and who blankly goes for the cheapest cage eggs. Costco is particularly interesting… I always do a bit of trolley-watching, and sadly it’s too often (very) overweight women with a trolley-full of processed food, and kids. Maybe they expect a Family Egg Allowance from the government before they’ll do the right thing.

Queanbeyan Coles continues to surprise, with a large proportion of people (when I shop, in the evening) going for the free range eggs.

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

How very Christian of you.

Mysteryman said :

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

“I don’t care about this so how important can it be?”

What a statement, combining narcissistic solipsism, appalling moral reasoning and the assumption that no-one is capable of doing more than one thing at the same time.

Kudos. You’ve hit a new high.

Jethro said :

Sure slavery exists, but there are global movements to stamp it out because people recognise that some things are more important than money.

Moving the goalposts much?

I guess your next line will be about debeaking?

Wow. This government really has its finger on the pulse of the Canberra people, doesn’t it?

shores up a good percentage of their vote on the left.

devils_advocate8:59 am 05 Jul 12

Jethro said :

2604 said :

Jethro said :

Many consumers think with their hip-pocket, not with their moral compass.

They don’t think with your moral compass, but that’s their prerogative.

Cool… so people who think it is ok to torture animals to save a few cents have their own moral compass.

However, I’m not a moral relativist. Some moral values are more valid than others. Not too many people see Anders Brevik as an ethical person, despite the fact he was guided by his own moral compass.

The simple fact is torturing animals for profit is morally wrong. (particularly in a first world country where no-one is going to starve to death because their eggs cost a buck more a dozen) Financial decisions aren’t always guided by morality.

You can spin it how you like, but any true moral analysis of the topic will come to the same conclusion.

+1

And now the government need to show some real balls and ban the sale of caged hen eggs in the ACT.

There could be *minor* constitutional issues with such a policy potentially being seen as restricting trade among the states.

thatsnotme said :

Jethro said :

thatsnotme said :

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Also, schools, roads, affordable housing, climate change, mental health, parking costs, the bus system, on and/or off road cycle paths (and registration), problem gambling, food safety, and frosted up windshields.

Have I forgotten anything?

As far as I’m aware all of those things (except frosted windshields) receives more government funding than Parkwood Farms is receiving to end cage farming.

Your argument is invalid.

Hmm, I thought that I’d laced my post with enough emotive hot spot topics to make its irony obvious…but I guess not.

Won’t someone please think of the children!

This 3 post nut says his irony detector must have been switched off. I blame alcohol.

Can we please now ban foxes from killing the free range chickens? It is plainly just cruel the was foxes treat chickens.

2604 said :

Jethro said :

Many consumers think with their hip-pocket, not with their moral compass.

They don’t think with your moral compass, but that’s their prerogative.

Cool… so people who think it is ok to torture animals to save a few cents have their own moral compass.

However, I’m not a moral relativist. Some moral values are more valid than others. Not too many people see Anders Brevik as an ethical person, despite the fact he was guided by his own moral compass.

The simple fact is torturing animals for profit is morally wrong. (particularly in a first world country where no-one is going to starve to death because their eggs cost a buck more a dozen) Financial decisions aren’t always guided by morality.

You can spin it how you like, but any true moral analysis of the topic will come to the same conclusion.

Skidbladnir said :

Um, Jethro…

We had a criminal case of slavery here in the ACT only a few weeks ago, resulting in a conviction.
(If you mean slavery in the US, that was also an economic issue, in a time when the geometric\exponential gains of steam and combustion engines weren’t as easily gauged relative to the arithmetic position of owning a hundred slaves)

Also, there’s still an estimated $9bil economy in human trafficking worldwide, and even the UN admits there’s another 12 to 30 million humans living under traditional debt bondage.
The business of slavery isn’t just still happening, its a boom time.

Want to pick a different scenario for your Law vs Economics example?

Anyway, back to eggs…

Does nobody realise supermarket eggs are only a small segment of the total market?

Criminal case… meaning the slave owner was prosecuted and sent to jail.

Slavery was outlawed because people saw that the rights of slaves were more important thatn the profits of business owners or the hip-pockets of consumers.

Sure slavery exists, but there are global movements to stamp it out because people recognise that some things are more important than money.

Jethro said :

thatsnotme said :

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Also, schools, roads, affordable housing, climate change, mental health, parking costs, the bus system, on and/or off road cycle paths (and registration), problem gambling, food safety, and frosted up windshields.

Have I forgotten anything?

As far as I’m aware all of those things (except frosted windshields) receives more government funding than Parkwood Farms is receiving to end cage farming.

Your argument is invalid.

Hmm, I thought that I’d laced my post with enough emotive hot spot topics to make its irony obvious…but I guess not.

Won’t someone please think of the children!

Jethro said :

thatsnotme said :

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Also, schools, roads, affordable housing, climate change, mental health, parking costs, the bus system, on and/or off road cycle paths (and registration), problem gambling, food safety, and frosted up windshields.

Have I forgotten anything?

As far as I’m aware all of those things (except frosted windshields) receives more government funding than Parkwood Farms is receiving to end cage farming.

Your argument is invalid.

Hmm…I thought that I’d laced my post with enough real and imagined issues that its

I-filed said :

“Barn eggs”? The Greens have squibbed. What happened to free range, with happy healthy hens? Barn eggs can come from pecked, sad, overcrowded hens. Where’s the detail on these “barn conditions”, Andrew Barr? How many eggs to the square metre? The RSPCA recommendation, or the peak egg producer body’s recommendation?

Australian Egg Corporation Ltd allow 18 birds per square metre, ready access to outdoors and beaks trimmed.

RSPCA allow 9 birds per square metre, NO ready access to the outdoors and beaks trimmed.

Australian Certified Organic allow 9 birds per square metre, ready access to the outdoors and NO beaks trimmed.

The above are for barn laid eggs. For free range:

AECL want 20,000 birds per hectare

RSPCA have between 1500 to 2500 birds per hectare

ACO have 1000 birds per hectare.

I wonder what standards Parkwood Eggs will subscribe to?

Jethro said :

Many consumers think with their hip-pocket, not with their moral compass.

They don’t think with your moral compass, but that’s their prerogative.

Um, Jethro…

We had a criminal case of slavery here in the ACT only a few weeks ago, resulting in a conviction.
(If you mean slavery in the US, that was also an economic issue, in a time when the geometric\exponential gains of steam and combustion engines weren’t as easily gauged relative to the arithmetic position of owning a hundred slaves)

Also, there’s still an estimated $9bil economy in human trafficking worldwide, and even the UN admits there’s another 12 to 30 million humans living under traditional debt bondage.
The business of slavery isn’t just still happening, its a boom time.

Want to pick a different scenario for your Law vs Economics example?

Anyway, back to eggs…

Does nobody realise supermarket eggs are only a small segment of the total market?

thatsnotme said :

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Also, schools, roads, affordable housing, climate change, mental health, parking costs, the bus system, on and/or off road cycle paths (and registration), problem gambling, food safety, and frosted up windshields.

Have I forgotten anything?

As far as I’m aware all of those things (except frosted windshields) receives more government funding than Parkwood Farms is receiving to end cage farming.

Your argument is invalid.

Elizabethany said :

And yet 80% of egg purchases are of cage eggs. Things will move when consumers do.

Many consumers think with their hip-pocket, not with their moral compass.

Just because cage eggs are cheaper doesn’t mean they are OK.

Slavery would still be happening if the only impetus for change was the hip-pockets of consumers.

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Also, schools, roads, affordable housing, climate change, mental health, parking costs, the bus system, on and/or off road cycle paths (and registration), problem gambling, food safety, and frosted up windshields.

Have I forgotten anything?

“Barn eggs”? The Greens have squibbed. What happened to free range, with happy healthy hens? Barn eggs can come from pecked, sad, overcrowded hens. Where’s the detail on these “barn conditions”, Andrew Barr? How many eggs to the square metre? The RSPCA recommendation, or the peak egg producer body’s recommendation?

Yay, no more battery hens! I look forward to the Green’s now wanting solar powered ones.

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Chickens have feelings as well…you insensitive tosser.

Elizabethany6:10 pm 04 Jul 12

And yet 80% of egg purchases are of cage eggs. Things will move when consumers do.

Chop71 said :

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

The ACT Gov has a female leader who can multitask. The Gov’t can also collect taxes, operate speed cameras and run a bus service, all at the same time…

I live in Macgregor4:32 pm 04 Jul 12

Am the proud owner of 3 Australorp hens who are currently on a moulting hiatus, so I want to (and do) buy freerange eggs over winter.

I’m glad a solution that encourages the local business to stay in town and saves local jobs has been found.

This is not a ban – or a phase out. It is simply an existing business (who, I think, have not had any hens onsite since the March break in) deciding to upgrade their disgusting, outdated cage facility and getting Gov (our) money to do so. As far as I can see, there’s nothing to stop them or another producer setting up a new cage facility elsewhere in the ACT.

I applaud the announcement of the end of cage farming in the ACT, but I have a number of reservations.
Minister Barr claims that the $7.5 million land purchase will return the government $30 million once subdivided and resold. I’d like to see the valuation report on the land, to ensure that we haven’t overpaid, and that the ROI claim is substantiated.
I’d also like to see the contract that forces Parkwood to switch to a barn system, and specifically if the contract has a maximum density clause.

Good news for chickens.

But, remember the two roundabouts that Govco aren’t building on Southern Cross Drive. Remember that any increase in traffic is directly related to the creation of a new suburb, or industrial area.

Remember the souls who have lost their lives in vehicle accidents on Southern Cross Drive (yes, Gloria, I know there were many different circumstances!)

Now they are touting the expansion of a new industrial suburb, with its accompanying sale of land, and undoubted increase in traffic, but still the very sub-optimal solution to traffic control at SX and Starke St, and Osburn Drive, crawls on to its inevitable shoddy completion.

Sorry to hijack the thread, and again, good news for the chickens, and the eggs. I wonder who got the news first? mmmm

Chop71 said :

more important than hospital waiting times.

That’s in the “too hard” basket.
Banning cage egg is from the “too easy” basket.

What is more important in politics is to be seen to be doing something, compared to actually doing something.

Frankly I’m baffled as to who actually benefits from this ban?
Hens? Consumers? NSW cage egg farmers? Or those people who can easily dislocated their shoulders to give themselves a pat on the back?

Now pass me some tissues for my bloody gaping cheek.

I love Canberra …. where free chickens are more important than hospital waiting times.

Yay,
NSW caged eggs for everyone.

And at a cost of only $7.5million, what a bargain.

Aaroncbr said :

This is great news!

+1. As usual, ACT is near the front of progressive action, this time in ending a cruel farming practise.

Now Parkwood Eggs can focus more attention on hunting down those darn lefty, socialist do-gooder, jobless, unistudent, greenie anarchists who ruined quite a few breakfasts due to the aftermath of their destructive rampage. They deserve a whipper-snipper to the eggs.

Caractacus Potts12:59 pm 04 Jul 12

So now all our caged eggs will be trucked in – won’t somebody think of the food miles!!

This is great news!

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