19 September 2013

I do not like caged eggs and ham

| Barcham
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Caged hens

Pigs and hens rejoice, more appropriate accommodation all around!

Today Shane Rattenbury presented a bill to prohibit the use of battery cages and sow stalls in the ACT.

In the future we will be able to enjoy our ACT made breakfasts completely guilt free, assuming the only thing you felt guilty about what the inability of the pigs and hens to turn around 360 degrees.

Minister for Territory and Municipal Services, Shane Rattenbury, today presented a bill to prohibit the use of battery cages for commercial egg production and the use of sow stalls and farrowing crates to keep pigs in the ACT.

“The ACT will be the first jurisdiction in Australia to legislate against factory farming, in a move that has been championed by the ACT Greens since 1997,” said Mr Rattenbury.
“This Parliamentary Agreement item will be the fifth bill by the ACT Greens in relation to factory farming and I am proud that this has come to fruition at long last.

“With the passage of the Animal Welfare (Factory Farming) Amendment Bill, hens can no longer be kept in inhumane battery cages which prevent them from stretching, perching, laying eggs in a nest and exhibiting other natural behaviour,” Mr Rattenbury said.

“The Bill will also prohibit the debeaking of hens, a common practice in the factory farming industry where the hen’s beak is removed with a hot blade or laser. Not only is this process painful and inhumane, but it can also lead to other health complications which make it painful for the bird to eat.

“The Bill also prevents sows from being kept in stalls or farrowing crates where they cannot stand up, turn around and simply do not have the space they need to engage in natural pig behaviour. While we do not currently have any sow stalls in the ACT, this legislation will not only prevent their introduction but set a precedent for other states to introduce similar legislation.

“Not only is factory farming cruel, but intensive confinement of animals also fails to meet the public’s expectations for humanely-produced egg and pork products.

“This bill introduces a maximum penalty for a prosecution for battery cage farming and keeping a pig in less than appropriate accommodation is 50 penalty units (currently $7,000 for an individual or $35,000 for a corporation).”

[Image courtesy of Mercy For Animals (CC BY 2.0)]

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And back to the point of the main article. Good on the ACT Government for banning caged eggs. Chickens should also be allowed to do their chicken frolicking in their paddocks, presumably fenced to protect them from foxes and wild dogs, in their short little lives.

BimboGeek said :

Few things to bear in mind here.

“Halal” simply means “permitted.” Food is halal if it meets the rules, just as food is kosher or vegetarian if it meets those criteria.

Vegemite is vegetarian (not vegan though). It is halal (permitted) but contains no meat, halal or otherwise.

Halal is just a word. I can claim my zucchini are halal and if I’m satisfied they meet the rules I can even stamp them “BGH” without paying any terrorists. Usually one has a priest check the religious rules have been satisfied, presumably companies are free to choose a priest.

Actually vegetables and vegetarian food are halal as long as there’s no alcohol or fermentation. Fish are considered not-meat in halal as in kosher. Some Muslims carry around the vegetarian food additives guides at the supermarket or check for the vegan/vegetarian logo. They are allowed to eat meat but will choose vegies in a restaurant, knowing it’s a “safe” option.

So quit your paranoid ranting, those of you who have been doing it…

This all prompted me to do some googling. Here’s what I can work out; happy to be corrected.

Halal seems to have a common meaning (permitted or lawful), so all fresh food would be halal, but Halal certification is a process that a manufacturer has to pay for. The application fee at one certifier was listed at $110, but there was another undisclosed fee for inspections etc. The money goes to Islamic certifiers, who then do whatever they want with the profits of their organisation – as is standard business practice all over the world. There is a concern that it might be a example of creeping dhimmitude – where non-Muslims are allowed to exist in a Muslim society provided they pay a tax. On the other hand, it is obviously seem by some businesses as good marketing to a small but increasing percentage of the market.

Meat seems to be a particular concern because not only is the slaughter cruel, it also seems it has to be done by a Muslim. This might account for the special meat workers visa (recently rolled into the 457). At the extreme, if all abattoirs became Halal certified, there would be no jobs for non-Muslim slaughterers, which would make for an interesting action under anti-discrimination laws (it would, at the least, be a good example of indirect discrimination).

Our view hasn’t changed. We like meat, but we prefer the least cruel slaughter possible. If I were in charge, I would have the beasts frolicking in the paddocks before being dropped, unsuspectingly, by a single shot to the head.

Few things to bear in mind here.

“Halal” simply means “permitted.” Food is halal if it meets the rules, just as food is kosher or vegetarian if it meets those criteria.

Vegemite is vegetarian (not vegan though). It is halal (permitted) but contains no meat, halal or otherwise.

Halal is just a word. I can claim my zucchini are halal and if I’m satisfied they meet the rules I can even stamp them “BGH” without paying any terrorists. Usually one has a priest check the religious rules have been satisfied, presumably companies are free to choose a priest.

Actually vegetables and vegetarian food are halal as long as there’s no alcohol or fermentation. Fish are considered not-meat in halal as in kosher. Some Muslims carry around the vegetarian food additives guides at the supermarket or check for the vegan/vegetarian logo. They are allowed to eat meat but will choose vegies in a restaurant, knowing it’s a “safe” option.

So quit your paranoid ranting, those of you who have been doing it…

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Hey everybody, did you know that Kraft and Cadbury directly support terrorism and if you buy these products you are also helping the terrorist cause?

KILL ALL INFEDELS!!!

I don’t buy Kraft or Cadbury products.

breda said :

Gosh, is there a law banning fox-hunting on the books here? If not, they’d better hop to it. After all, it might happen one day.

What they really need is an omnibus Bill – the “Prohibition of Anything We (Especially The Greens) Disapprove Of” Act (2013). Then perhaps they could get back to the boring, tedious and difficult issues that actually matter, which they are currently doing their best to avoid drawing attention to with this flummery.

Why do you want to ban fox hunting?

An omnibus Bill is probably a really good idea. They can add things in, or remove them, as time goes by, without the need for a whole new Bill or Act each time. Maybe it could even be done by Re

Really, though, what you are saying comes across as dissatisfaction with the fact that you live in a jurisdiction where the ALP and Greens get a majority of the votes, and MLAs. Since this has been a long-standing situation, and didn’t even change late last year despite the huge dissatisfaction with the Federal ALP and in every other State, you perhaps should think about living somewhere else. it would probably be better for your mental health.

IP

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:29 pm 22 Sep 13

Hey everybody, did you know that Kraft and Cadbury directly support terrorism and if you buy these products you are also helping the terrorist cause?

KILL ALL INFEDELS!!!

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:27 pm 22 Sep 13

Darkfalz said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

So a stamp on your vegemite affects you, how exactly?

If they were giving out the stamp for free to Halal products, that’s one thing, but that’s now hot it works.

Do a little research, and you might find that the money Kraft pays to get that stamp (and we pay Kraft) goes to some unsavoury places.

I know exactly what you are implying and I know that you have no actual sources to prove it.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

So a stamp on your vegemite affects you, how exactly?

If they were giving out the stamp for free to Halal products, that’s one thing, but that’s now hot it works.

Do a little research, and you might find that the money Kraft pays to get that stamp (and we pay Kraft) goes to some unsavoury places.

Gosh, is there a law banning fox-hunting on the books here? If not, they’d better hop to it. After all, it might happen one day.

What they really need is an omnibus Bill – the “Prohibition of Anything We (Especially The Greens) Disapprove Of” Act (2013). Then perhaps they could get back to the boring, tedious and difficult issues that actually matter, which they are currently doing their best to avoid drawing attention to with this flummery.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Darkfalz said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Lol how is halal being forced on us.

Also, you ignorant xenophobic fools should maybe do some research on halal in Australia before making dumb comments.

Common Australian products are now Halal certified, like Vegemite, Bega Cheese and Cadbury chocolate. There is no non-Halal versions available. Now, are we forced to buy them? No, but we are forced to buy Halal if we want these products which, up until recently, were not Halal.

So a stamp on your vegemite affects you, how exactly?

Well his bigotry goes into overdrive, for a start.

Darkfalz said :

Common Australian products are now Halal certified, like Vegemite, Bega Cheese and Cadbury chocolate. There is no non-Halal versions available. Now, are we forced to buy them? No, but we are forced to buy Halal if we want these products which, up until recently, were not Halal.

Vegemite has always been halal and you have never been able to buy a non-halal version.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd7:44 am 22 Sep 13

IrishPete said :

switch said :

Masquara said :

“Why hasn’t the Greens minister banned whaling in the Territory?”

Hey, that’s a good idea!

Might need to to protect the Skywhale from Marauding Icelandic, Norwegian and Japanese ships.

But seriously folks – there was a factory egg farm until quite recently, and banning cage egg production ensures that neither it, nor any other company re-opens one. Sow stalls are also possible in the ACT, even if none exist at the moment. Whales are a little unlikely, apart from the flying kind.

I bet there are a million other things that are banned in the ACT that you’ve never seen here. Perhaps that’s why you’ve never seen them here. And perhaps not. We will never know.

IP

Yep, common sense Pete, yet it’s easier for morons to blindly attack the greens for no other reason than the, being the greens.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd7:42 am 22 Sep 13

Darkfalz said :

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Lol how is halal being forced on us.

Also, you ignorant xenophobic fools should maybe do some research on halal in Australia before making dumb comments.

Common Australian products are now Halal certified, like Vegemite, Bega Cheese and Cadbury chocolate. There is no non-Halal versions available. Now, are we forced to buy them? No, but we are forced to buy Halal if we want these products which, up until recently, were not Halal.

So a stamp on your vegemite affects you, how exactly?

Darkfalz said :

housebound said :

We try to avoid the ‘cruelest’ meats, and Halal is always off the menu for that reason. Coles is now off the shopping list for meat; Woolies probably won’t be too far behind. Any views on where we can buy non-halal meat?

Does it concern you that “non-Halal” is fast becoming the hard to find “speciality” meat in this country?

I’m pretty sure that it is not quite yet the case, but we’ll ask the butchers next time.

Masquara said :

ABC Radio had a mock-fest about Shane Rattenbury this morning – re banning cage hens when there is not one industrial cage hen in the territory, and sow stalls when the nearest sow stall is in the environs of Young.

Having done a deal with the previous cage farm to switch, I guess they don’t want new cages to move in.

housebound said :

We try to avoid the ‘cruelest’ meats, and Halal is always off the menu for that reason. Coles is now off the shopping list for meat; Woolies probably won’t be too far behind. Any views on where we can buy non-halal meat?

Does it concern you that “non-Halal” is fast becoming the hard to find “speciality” meat in this country?

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

Lol how is halal being forced on us.

Also, you ignorant xenophobic fools should maybe do some research on halal in Australia before making dumb comments.

Common Australian products are now Halal certified, like Vegemite, Bega Cheese and Cadbury chocolate. There is no non-Halal versions available. Now, are we forced to buy them? No, but we are forced to buy Halal if we want these products which, up until recently, were not Halal.

breda said :

@ deref:

“So because the government can’t or won’t do exactly what you want it to, they shouldn’t do anything at all, even if it does some good? What a pleasant philosophy.”
——————————————————————
Huh? My point was that the ACT government spends much of its time on symbolic gestures that in no way touch on the real issues that affect ordinary Canberrans. I did not suggest what they should or shouldn’t do.

However, since you ask, fixing up hospital services and the increasing decrepitude of public areas like parks, malls, roads and verges would be a good start.

But, soooo boring. No national headlines to be grabbed there.

I’m with deref on this one. Not sure that a problem with hospitals is wholly and solely the result of deciding to make a law about battery hens or sow stalls. So unless you can show there is some connection there, it does just sound like just another right-whinger rant. By all means lobby for better hospitals/schools/whatever, but it doesn’t have to be done by attacking other people’s right to have/express a view about something totally unrelated.

Then:

Masquara said :

ABC Radio had a mock-fest about Shane Rattenbury this morning – re banning cage hens when there is not one industrial cage hen in the territory, and sow stalls when the nearest sow stall is in the environs of Young.

“Why hasn’t the Greens minister banned whaling in the Territory?”

Others have made the point that the laws would presumably also work to stop such practices starting up here – not a bad idea, I’d have thought, given that there is a local producer that has made the effort to get rid of battery hens, and could be undercut by someone coming in. And yes, I know that doesn’t stop things in nearby bits of NSW, but ACT can only do what it can do.

I’m assuming the (apparently quoted) bit about banning whaling is someone’s attempt at ridicule, on the basis we’re all up here in our landlocked mountain hideaway. But it kinda fails because the ACT includes bits of Jervis Bay – where, golly gosh, there are whales (well, sometimes) and a history of whaling. All good, though, because the Feds had already thunked of it apparently (http://www.ladydenman.asn.au/whaling.html).

Silly, I know – but really, if the bar is gonna be set that low ………

switch said :

Masquara said :

“Why hasn’t the Greens minister banned whaling in the Territory?”

Hey, that’s a good idea!

Might need to to protect the Skywhale from Marauding Icelandic, Norwegian and Japanese ships.

But seriously folks – there was a factory egg farm until quite recently, and banning cage egg production ensures that neither it, nor any other company re-opens one. Sow stalls are also possible in the ACT, even if none exist at the moment. Whales are a little unlikely, apart from the flying kind.

I bet there are a million other things that are banned in the ACT that you’ve never seen here. Perhaps that’s why you’ve never seen them here. And perhaps not. We will never know.

IP

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd4:25 pm 21 Sep 13

Lol how is halal being forced on us.

Also, you ignorant xenophobic fools should maybe do some research on halal in Australia before making dumb comments.

I am not allowed to have pigs in my backyard in Queanbeyan, probably good or I would walk them on a leash everywhere. But, I do have three chooks and they pop out eggs everyday…so many that I can’t eat them all. The unfortunate thing is they shit everywhere and eat my vegetable patch, so i tend to lock them up nowadays in a long chunk of mesh. I do feed them all our leftovers, put garlic in the water to prevent worms and also let them feast on all the carp I catch. Damn those eggs taste great.

Masquara said :

“Why hasn’t the Greens minister banned whaling in the Territory?”

Hey, that’s a good idea!

ABC Radio had a mock-fest about Shane Rattenbury this morning – re banning cage hens when there is not one industrial cage hen in the territory, and sow stalls when the nearest sow stall is in the environs of Young.

“Why hasn’t the Greens minister banned whaling in the Territory?”

@ deref:

“So because the government can’t or won’t do exactly what you want it to, they shouldn’t do anything at all, even if it does some good? What a pleasant philosophy.”
——————————————————————
Huh? My point was that the ACT government spends much of its time on symbolic gestures that in no way touch on the real issues that affect ordinary Canberrans. I did not suggest what they should or shouldn’t do.

However, since you ask, fixing up hospital services and the increasing decrepitude of public areas like parks, malls, roads and verges would be a good start.

But, soooo boring. No national headlines to be grabbed there.

Darkfalz said :

Postalgeek said :

For the sake of consistency, any condemnation of unstunned halal slaughter practices should also include condemnation of unstunned kosher slaughter practices.

Kosher slaughter is just as barbaric as Halal, but it’s never been forced upon us the way Halal is being now. From a pure animal welfare issue it’s bad enough, but then there’s the questionable matter of where the Halal certification funds we’re all paying for via purchase of these products are ending up and if that is in the country’s best interest (I believe it is not).

We try to avoid the ‘cruelest’ meats, and Halal is always off the menu for that reason. Coles is now off the shopping list for meat; Woolies probably won’t be too far behind. Any views on where we can buy non-halal meat?

breda said :

Gesture politics. Same sex marriage as a top priority is in the same category.

The ACT government is living in a cloudland of symbolic gestures – it’s so much easier than dealing with those messy, real problems on the ground.

So because the government can’t or won’t do exactly what you want it to, they shouldn’t do anything at all, even if it does some good? What a pleasant philosophy.

Postalgeek said :

For the sake of consistency, any condemnation of unstunned halal slaughter practices should also include condemnation of unstunned kosher slaughter practices.

Kosher slaughter is just as barbaric as Halal, but it’s never been forced upon us the way Halal is being now. From a pure animal welfare issue it’s bad enough, but then there’s the questionable matter of where the Halal certification funds we’re all paying for via purchase of these products are ending up and if that is in the country’s best interest (I believe it is not).

Just don’t eat meat! I am fairly simple on this issue. Any system of slaughter involves suffering.

However, horrible living conditions are certainly worth addressing, given that most people will insist on eating eggs and meat.

Sybarites!

As far as I’m aware the Australian meat standard requires animals to be stunned before slaughter, including halal. This is what differs Australian halal from halal in many other countries. As I understand it, they use a reversible form of electrical stun for halal, rather than the irreversible bolt, so there’s no risk of the stunned animal being ‘dead’ before slaughter.

For the sake of consistency, any condemnation of unstunned halal slaughter practices should also include condemnation of unstunned kosher slaughter practices.

EvanJames said :

I think as non-cage eggs become more popular, economies of scale see the price reduce, it’s already happening. Coles own brand now is no cage eggs, and their own brand pig products are sow-stall free. I too would like to see them ban cage eggs totally, ditto sow-stall-raised pork. But each step takes us closer. This is why I buy these things from Coles, rather than Costco.

Halal is an abomination and the exceptions to laws that allow it to happen are gob-smacking. Why aren’t africans allowed to circumsize their female children in the name of religion, if we allow Muslims to commit cruelty in animal slaughter in the name of religion?

Coles meat is now Halal I’ve heard.

I’m sure they can study stress hormone levels and so on, but I just don’t know how complex chickens brains are. Part of what allows humans to experience misery is that they know what not being in misery is like. They have contrast.

If a chicken is stuffed in a cage and eats from a conveyor belt food that to the chicken tastes good, as horrible as the picture looks to us, part of me wonders if the chicken knows what a plight it is in. It doesn’t need to compete with other chickens or fight for food. It’s not like it remembers the good times when it was roaming an open pasture.

I’ll always buy free range eggs but I suspect their lives aren’t actually all that much better. It’s still mass farming and I’m sure they still have their share of misery and stress whether they “know” it or not.

Holden Caulfield2:13 pm 20 Sep 13

Aeek said :

if true, then plucking the chickens on hatching would produce even better eggs.

Don’t feed the troll.

voytek3 said :

This is a blow for decent tasting eggs everywhere. Chickens kept in battery cages (the more inhumane the better) produce better quality and better tasting eggs. Fact.

if true, then plucking the chickens on hatching would produce even better eggs.

This is a blow for decent tasting eggs everywhere. Chickens kept in battery cages (the more inhumane the better) produce better quality and better tasting eggs. Fact.

Darkfalz said :

Unless your a vegetarian I find some of this stuff a bit token. Mass animal farming is always cruel. But there are ways for it to be less cruel. I can afford to pay a bit extra for my eggs and bacon, but sadly, a lot of people just grab what’s cheapest and don’t think about the cost to the animal (an additional irony is that animal only exists because it’s been farmed for food). Even more shocking is the trend towards Halal slaughter for mainstream supermarkets, as this is amongst the most cruel methods of slaughter. I’d be interested to know if cage farming was outlawed, would the price of barn and free range eggs drop at all?

I think as non-cage eggs become more popular, economies of scale see the price reduce, it’s already happening. Coles own brand now is no cage eggs, and their own brand pig products are sow-stall free. I too would like to see them ban cage eggs totally, ditto sow-stall-raised pork. But each step takes us closer. This is why I buy these things from Coles, rather than Costco.

Halal is an abomination and the exceptions to laws that allow it to happen are gob-smacking. Why aren’t africans allowed to circumsize their female children in the name of religion, if we allow Muslims to commit cruelty in animal slaughter in the name of religion?

Chop71 said :

Pitchka said :

Just wondering how the chicken in the photo that seems to have made a getaway, manages to sleep with all that noise..

It’s ‘dead’ easy

Ear muffs?

Pitchka said :

Just wondering how the chicken in the photo that seems to have made a getaway, manages to sleep with all that noise..

It’s ‘dead’ easy

Just wondering how the chicken in the photo that seems to have made a getaway, manages to sleep with all that noise..

Darkfalz said :

Even more shocking is the trend towards Halal slaughter for mainstream supermarkets, as this is amongst the most cruel methods of slaughter.

In this case the weirdo is correct. Halal is so cruel that it’s generally forbidden for many Hindus and specifically forbidden for Sikhs, should they choose to eat animals.

I’d love to see the “explanation” signs like they have over the eggs at coles:

“This meat is HALAL meat. The animal faced Mecca and a Muslim said ‘bismillah’ and ‘allahu akhbar’ before cutting the animal’s throat, causing it to die slowly while the blood drained.”

“This meat is JHATKA meat. The animal was killed with a single blow and no prayers were said.”

“This meat is BOLT STUNNED meat. The animal was hung up, bashed in the head and then had its throat cut. This is considered the least cruel method of slaughter.”

Anyway hurray for whatever kindness we can all agree on. They can’t ban the sale of battery eggs in ACT because of a Cth law forbidding restriction of trade between states but we can agree not to start doing it here too.

Useless and cynical and well Shane Rattenbury knows it. If they were serious, they would ban the SALE of cage eggs.

Unless your a vegetarian I find some of this stuff a bit token. Mass animal farming is always cruel. But there are ways for it to be less cruel. I can afford to pay a bit extra for my eggs and bacon, but sadly, a lot of people just grab what’s cheapest and don’t think about the cost to the animal (an additional irony is that animal only exists because it’s been farmed for food). Even more shocking is the trend towards Halal slaughter for mainstream supermarkets, as this is amongst the most cruel methods of slaughter. I’d be interested to know if cage farming was outlawed, would the price of barn and free range eggs drop at all?

Watson said :

I do not like them, Sime I Am.

Well, if we have neither of those now, that bill will hopefully pass without any opposition and everyone will be happy and there will be unicorns and rainbows and happy people eating copious amounts of bacon and eggs everywhere.

Provided they are all sourced from free-range unicorn farms.

Another solution in search of a problem, brought to you by the local council.

‘Mean eggs and ham’ might have been better.

Everyone’s a critic.

I do not like them, Sime I Am.

Well, if we have neither of those now, that bill will hopefully pass without any opposition and everyone will be happy and there will be unicorns and rainbows and happy people eating copious amounts of bacon and eggs everywhere.

I like the Dr Seuss-inspired headline. Nice one.

I hate chickens – evil little bastards.
I buy cage eggs on purpose so at least I know that 12 have suffered to give me my googly eggs.
I saw chickens attack a poor galah that landed in their enclosure, and one ate a live mouse in one gulp – V style…

f*ck chickens.

Gesture politics. Same sex marriage as a top priority is in the same category.

The ACT government is living in a cloudland of symbolic gestures – it’s so much easier than dealing with those messy, real problems on the ground.

neanderthalsis said :

Considering that the ACT has neither battery farms for chickens or any pig farms, this legislation seems rather superfluous.

Not if it sets a precedent, raises the profile of the topic, and prevents the opening of new factory farms.

neanderthalsis1:59 pm 19 Sep 13

Considering that the ACT has neither battery farms for chickens or any pig farms, this legislation seems rather superfluous.

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