(THIS ARTICLE IS MACHINE TRANSLATED by Google from Norwegian)
Chickens are often in the media – but rarely with focus on the animal itself. While the industry and government are trying to get sales to absurd heights again, the consumer should start to care more about the animal behind the item.
Chickens are animals we humans have manipulated to a point where their bodies are no longer of special use to the animals themselves. The bird chicks grow to twice the weight of an adult head hen in barely 30 days. The legs and organs are unable to keep up with growth. The broiler chickens' parents are starved so that their bones will not fail. The abnormal growth, combined with an environment in which natural behavior and movement are hindered, results in birds that in practice become disabled.
Frightening. These are known conditions that have been reported in all the country's major newspapers in recent years. Between the lines of the articles lies a frustrated acknowledgment of a seemingly insoluble tangle: Chicken production is unacceptable. But since "we all" eat chickens, we don't say it straight out.
The number of chickens slaughtered is up to 70 million individuals a year – the growth was "adventurous" according to the industry. From the perspective of those who care about our society's decency towards animals, "scary" is a better word. Then came the famous decline. It came as a result of other frightening aspects of chicken production becoming common knowledge. Researchers raised alarm about antibiotic-resistant bacteria on 30 percent of chicken fillets. Not long after, another type of antibiotic-resistant bacteria was reported on 50 per cent of turkey meat – bacteria that, according to the Norwegian Food Safety Authority, were also found on 70 per cent of the chicken fillets in 2014.
However, the industry got both the Minister of Health and the Food Safety Authority on the track with assurances that the bacteria-infested meat is "safe to eat" – as long as precautions are taken. How right it is for ministers and government agencies to go beyond their information role to become a helping hand for a business with PR issues is a question many should ask. The industry then went out with "narasin-free" chicken – that is, chicken that had not been given preventative antiparasitic agents with antibiotic effect. At the same time, the measure faced criticism internally: “Without narasin, the animal also gets easier infections of a type of bacteria that causes ulcers and damaged tissue in the intestine of chicken. Both of these conditions mean poor animal welfare, ”wrote a professional in the Meat and Poultry Industry's National Association.
Reflection. The crux of the problem is not mentioned, however: Animals that are mass-produced and forced to live closely in order to achieve large production volumes are more easily exposed to disease. When the birds during their four earliest weeks of life – the only ones they get – have to be given medication to not die to such an extent that it impacts on the profitability statistics, many will think that this is food for thought rather than stomach.
Chicken production is driven by a goal to produce as much meat as possible with the least effort and cost. The animals pay the price in terms of suffering and lack of quality of life. Their welfare and needs are ignored because of people's desire for a particular taste experience. Is it worth it and do consumers really want more of it?
The welfare and needs of the chickens are ignored due to people's desire for a particular taste experience.
The chicken industry is now making a massive effort to see high sales figures. That means millions of bird chicks who have a bad life – as well as potentially pose a health risk to humans.
But the fewer chicken fillets purchased, the fewer bird chicks are at risk of coming into the world with a body that is their worst enemy, in an environment where bird chicks do not belong at all.
There are more and more people choosing both chicken meat and other meat, and instead choose vegetarian – both on the grill and dinner table. It is the agricultural production we need to build and protect – not an overgrown chicken industry.
Martinsen is a veterinarian and leader in NOAH – for animal rights. siri@dyrsrettigheter.no
