[PDF]Batteries Not Included-Organic Farming and Animal Welfare

Batteries not included

organic farming and animal welfare



written and researched by Charlie Pye-Smith




Soil Association

endorsed by




TRUST



Contents



Foreword 5
Executive summary 6
Introduction 10

1. Farm animal welfare - a brief history 12

2. Organic principles and livestock farming 16

3. Poultry - table birds 20

4. Poultry - laying flocks 32

5. PigS 38

6. Dairy cows 44

7. Sheep 52

8. Beef cattie 58

Conclusions 64

Maintaining and extending high animal welfare:
Soil Association recommendations and action 68
Comment: by Compassion in World Farming Trust 82

Appendix 1: Tables 84
Appendix 2: References 88

Acknowledgements 90



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Foreword



The British are renowned as a nation of animal lovers. Animal charities are generously
supported, and animal welfare campaigns led by organisations like Compassion in World
Farming have had a significant impact on livestock farming in this country. Veal crates
are banned, free range and organic eggs are a growing feature of the fresh egg market,
and non-organic breeding sows have moved to better conditions before the rest of the EU.
The live export of farm animals has been reduced, although it still, unacceptably, persists.

But when concerned citizens become consumers, too many of us remain distressingly
efficient at blanking-out any connection between the lives of farm animals and the meat,
eggs and dairy products we buy. There is deep ignorance about what actually happens
to animals on farms, and some people find pictures of the reality of industrial livestock
production so distressing that they look away rather than take them in.

This report, written by an independent author with extensive agricultural experience,
shows that we can all make a dramatic difference to the lives of farm animals if we open
our eyes to the realities of food production and choose organic products. Like people,
animals get injured or sick and sometimes die prematurely. Unlike humans, they depend
entirely on the production system they are part of, and the care and skill of the farmer.
These two things will determine whether they live a full, comfortable and happy life, or
endure a deprived, pain-filled and miserable existence, as far too many do.

Animal welfare is a guiding principle of organic agriculture, and the public expects the
highest standards from organic farmers. This report shows that those expectations are
being met, and independent research quoted in the report backs this up. The report
also highlights where improvements in organic systems can and should be made. There
is a danger in being open about organic farming's weaknesses. Some might think that
there are animal welfare problems on organic farms that compare to the horrors
inflicted in industrial production. There aren't.

But if we are going to reconnect food production with the public, and foster a sense
of trust in organic food, we have to be completely transparent. We can be clear in the
light of this report that Soil Association standards are better for animal welfare than
any others, organic or non-organic. We can be clear that organic systems deliver better
animal welfare than non-organic. But our standards are not perfect. There are some
animal welfare problems on organic farms, and we must be clear about that too.

Healthy children need fresh air, a good diet and plenty of exercise, and that's what
organic farmers want for their livestock. This report shows animals on organic farms
generally enjoy positive health and welfare, and that many organic farmers constandy
strive to improve the welfare of their animals. This report recognises their achievements,
and will help us all achieve even more in future.




Peter Melchett

Soil Association policy director



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5



Executive summary



Introduction

Intensive methods of livestock production have led to spectacular increases in
productivity. But there has been a high price to pay in terms of animal welfare.
This report looks at animal welfare from the perspective of organic agriculture.
It asks whether organic farming can provide a humane and sustainable alternative
to intensive methods of livestock production

Non-organic chickens and turkeys

The cock birds used to breed broiler chickens are kept in a state of chronic hunger
and this leads to high levels of aggression and feather pecking. Fearfulness and high
rates of stereotypical pecking are common in females. To reduce aggression, breeder
flocks are kept in semi-darkness, and the males often have their beaks trimmed. Every
day 100,000 broiler chickens die prematurely in UK factory farms as a result of intensive
methods of production.

There are now approximately 29 million egg-layers in the UK, over 70 per cent of which
are housed in battery cages. Today three-quarters of the UK's eggs come from fewer than
300 units, each with 20,000 or more layers. Some battery operations have as many as
half a million birds. Most battery cages house four or five birds, each having 550 square
centimetres of space - or about as much room as an A4 sheet of paper.

Of the 35 million turkeys bred for the table in Britain each year, the vast majority are
fattened in sheds which contain up to 25,000 birds. Conditions are similar to those in
the intensive broiler industry, and the birds suffer from a variety of ailments which stem
from overcrowding, a lack of dry litter and aggressive behaviour. They never feel the sun
on their backs; never roost in trees, as wild turkeys do; never graze outdoors.

Under organic systems battery cages are banned and birds must have access to the open
air. Various other practices which are widespread in non-organic poultry meat, egg and
turkey production are also banned on organic farms.

Non-organic pigs

There are approximately 500,000 sows in the UK and between 70 to 75 per cent of
these spend their entire life indoors. A week before they give birth most are placed in
a farrowing crate, which is little more than a metal cage on a concrete, partially slatted
floor. They remain in the crate until their piglets are weaned at around three weeks.
Close confinement can cause muscle weakness, lameness and inflammatory swellings
of the joints. Organic pigs must have access to the open air for most of their lives, and
farrowing crates are banned.

When pigs are kept in overcrowded and barren spaces, they frequently bite one
another's tails. This is why the majority of farmers dock their piglets' tails, using either
pliers or a hot docking iron. According to the European Union's Scientific Veterinary
Committee, this can sometimes lead 'to prolonged pain'. Tail docking is banned by
organic standards.



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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



7



Non-organic dairy cows

Modern dairy cows are bred to produce as much milk as possible, and most are
culled as soon as their productivity - and their health - goes into decline. Because of
infertility and disease, caused in part by metabolic stress, the majority of cows have to
be culled after three or four lactations, when they reach about five years old. Wild cattle,
in contrast, average around ten lactations, as do many suckler beef cattle, and organic
diary cattle can give eight lactations or more. For a significant portion of the year, many
high-yielding dairy cows are kept indoors on concrete, and many suffer from lameness.

Organic livestock

Organic livestock must spend most of their lives outdoors, and farmers aim to provide
them with the sort of conditions which their wild ancestors favour, or favoured. Organic
farmers are encouraged to choose breeds which are well adapted to local conditions
and capable of resisting disease. Organic farmers aim to avoid and control diseases
without using conventional veterinary treatments, although these must be used if a
veterinary surgeon believes they are necessary to save lives and prevent suffering. In
short, organic farming aspires to 'positive welfare'. This implies that animals are kept
in a state of excellent health and that all their needs, both physical and behavioural,
are satisfied.

The report looks at the difference between organic and non-organic practices for a
whole range of livestock. Technical discussions, for example of how organic farmers
tackle specific diseases, or how livestock fit in to a farm's crop rotation system, are
accompanied by detailed case studies which explore the considerable achievements
of organic farmers in the UK, as well as the difficulties and problems they face.

Conclusions

The report concludes that organic farming, when practised by skilled stockmen
and stockwomen, does indeed provide great benefits for farm animals and generally
guarantees high standards of animal welfare. However, it is clear that in some cases
organic farmers do encounter considerable welfare problems. This has been especially
true of sheep farmers in the Scottish uplands during the past few years. The report also
suggests that certain organic standards - particularly those which relate to the rearing
of organic table birds and organic laying hens - are too lax. The report concludes by
suggesting that much more could be made of the considerable animal welfare benefits
of well-managed organic farms when promoting organic food to the general public.

Soil Association's response

The Soil Association welcomes these conclusions. Our aim is to see animal welfare
further improve on Soil Association licensed organic farms, and in doing so to
influence livestock farming in general. The final section of the report, written by the
Soil Association, details our response. We will be consulting consumers, farmers, animal
welfare experts, vets, government officials and other non-governmental organisations
about the report and our response.



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We need to address the concern raised over whether organic farmers are always
treating sick animals in the most appropriate way. We propose to add to our inspection
programmes so that animal welfare problems can be better recorded and be used to
trigger additional training or education for organic farmers or greater involvement by
the farmer's vet.

We also want to work positively with the veterinary profession to further improve
animal welfare on both organic and non-organic farms. We believe special training in
organic livestock farming for vets is desirable, and that trained vets should then always
be involved in helping farmers when converting to organic farming. We plan to review
whether certain breeds are suitable for organic systems and to review our organic poultry
standards. In particular we need to limit and phase out current derogations given for the
sourcing of non-organic day-old chicks and larger flock sizes. We briefly discuss work in
progress on Soil Association slaughter standards and we open discussions on long-term
goals for achieving even higher animal welfare, for example by looking more closely at
the natural habitat and behaviour of the wild relatives of farmed animals.

The Soil Association believes that the key to ensuring that farm animals truly thrive is
the system of organic farming because it nurtures a state of positive health, promoting
natural vitality and disease resistance. This vitality comes from a natural diet derived
from a living soil, and from allowing animals to fully express their natural behaviour.
For organic farmers, achieving high animal welfare is not just right in itself, it is of
fundamental importance to the whole organic system.



EXECUTIVE SUMMARY



9



Introduction



The vast majority of hens, turkeys and pigs are produced in what are aptly described as
factory farms. They spend their lives tightly packed in often windowless sheds, and they
are treated - and often talked about - as harvestable crops, rather than as sentient beings
with individual needs and desires. Broiler chickens now reach the weight at which they
are killed twice as fast as they did 30 years ago. Modern high-yielding strains of turkey
now have such large breasts that they are incapable of having natural sex. Dairy cows
may not have been 'industrialised' in the same way as poultry and pigs, but the holy grail
of high productivity has affected them too. While the average dairy cow produced some
3,000 litres of milk a year in 1940, the modern Holstein now yields 10,000 litres a year
or more.

There has been a high price to pay for these spectacular increases in productivity. Broiler
chickens now grow so fast that their skeletons and hearts cannot keep pace with muscle
development. 100,000 birds die each day in UK broiler sheds as a result of heart failure,
disease and afflictions caused by intensive methods of production. 1 Many sows in the
UK are confined in narrow crates when they farrow, and consequendy suffer from
swollen joints and skin abrasions. Most of their progeny have their teeth clipped to
prevent them from causing udder damage, and their tails docked so that they do not fall
prey to tail-biting later in life - painful mutilations only made necessary by the intensive
nature of production. As for high-yielding cows, lameness caused by high concentrate
feeding and long housing periods on inadequate surfaces leads to pain and discomfort.

Factory farming is at one end of a scale of intensity. At the other end are the extensive
livestock systems of the uplands, where sheep wander over large tracts of rough grazing
land. In between these extremes are a whole range of other farming systems of varying
intensity. Clearly, factory farming systems such as those described above prevent animals
from fulfilling their full behavioral repertoire, and sometimes subject animals to severe
stress and suffering. But extensive systems are not necessarily ideal: lamb mortality
on upland farms, for example, tends to be higher than mortality on more intensively
managed lowland farms. Animal welfare on similar sorts of farms may also vary greatly,
according to the skills of the people who are looking after the livestock. Many farmers
take a great pride in their livestock. They do all they can to prevent suffering and ensure
that their animals remain in good health. But that isn't always the case.

There are some basic rules which dictate how farmers treat their livestock, and what
they can and cannot do, and these are laid down by UK and European Union (EU) law.
Many livestock farmers join farm assurance schemes - there are separate ones for poultry,
sheep, beef, pigs and dairy cows - but these schemes often do litde more than insist that
farmers comply with existing legislation. However, a recent report by Compassion in
World Farming (CIWF) found that the standards of one scheme far exceed, in welfare
terms, those of all the others. 2 These are the organic farming and production standards
set by the Soil Association.

This report looks at animal welfare from the perspective of organic farming. The organic
standards laid down by EU law and refined by certifying bodies like the Soil Association
stipulate a range of measures which between them should result in good animal welfare.
Free-range conditions are required; stocking densities both on the land and in buildings



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are limited; the most intensive practices - such as early weaning of piglets, intensive
feeding of dairy and beef cattle, and the use of battery hen cages - are prohibited,
as are certain mutilations.

However, organic farming has its welfare critics. Some argue that although the standards
themselves may be satisfactory, a failure to enforce them rigourously means that they are
not delivering the welfare benefits they should. There is also particular concern about
the standards which relate to the control of disease and parasites. Besides prohibiting
the use of artificial fertilisers and pesticides, organic standards aim to minimise the use
of conventional veterinary medicines, and encourage farmers to control diseases by good
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