RSPCA

Comments

• dpinn1 April 12, 2010 at 10:44 a.m.

  I agree with "thumper" if chickens were humans this would have been on the news everyday and something would have already been done about it.

  But no chickens arn't humans and so they are legally allowed to suffer-appauling, I support the RSPCA all the way in this campaign.

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• Thumper February 16, 2010 at 3:12 p.m.

  According to EU, it's completely legal to be locked away in a dark building somewhere, with nothing to do except whatever you are put to work to do, be forced to inhale life-threatening chemicals, and eventually be slaughtered, thus ending your completely wasted life that you spent doing absolutely nothing except suffer. Yes, according to EU it is perfectly fine for all of this to happen to someone...

  ... as long as that someone is just a chicken.

  Seriously, this whole thing is idiotic and contradictory. If you forced a human being to work in these conditions they would sue you. Since chickens can't talk, they can't sue, and that's all that matters to some people. It seems that this country is getting quite money hungry. Makes you wonder what working conditions would be like for humans if they couldn't sue their bosses.

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• animalrspca February 10, 2010 at 1:54 p.m.

  We shouldnt be taking a back seat chickens have been put through a lot and i think all should turn free range!

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• Taw247 December 30, 2009 at 10:22 p.m.

  Definitely! Hey everyone, Taw247 (The Animal World 24 7) is all for you to raise issues about the animal world that you think matter. So give animals a voice with Taw247. Please email us at taw247@live.co.uk with your thoughts and issues you want to raise to be put on our facebook page. We want to make sure every animal lover is heard. As under 18s seem to get ignored sometimes. We need new laws on Animal cruelty as we cant just wait for these laws to be changed we need action now! Thankyou for hearing me out and I hope you join our facebookpage and support animals. Again thankyou.

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• phiestar December 30, 2009 at 9:32 p.m.

  totally agree :)

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• Puppy28 December 10, 2009 at 6:25 p.m.

  I have read a lot about battery Farms and i think it should stop!

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• WhiteTiger November 28, 2009 at 7:48 a.m.

  I have read some extremely upsetting stories from various animal welfare sites, across the world regarding the issue of how chickens are treated. Chickens seem to be exempt from the level of animal welfare that is given to larger livestock, such as cows, sheep & other farm animals. I have seen situations where even the larger animals that are protected much more with Animal Welfare Legislation are treated with such inhumanity, it is very hard to even read the stories, let alone look at pictures or videos. Chickens seem to be excluded from ANY compassion or legislation that protects them. Not only are they overcrowded to the extent that they suffer severe injuries, such as breaking their legs, wings and feet. They also suffer during transportation because of extreme weather condtions. They are loaded onto cages with no protection in extremely cold weather conditions and often end up with severe frost bite on their already badly injured feet. If the weather is hot, they can die of heat stroke or dehydration during transportation. They suffer tremendously during days of transportation, just to end up at a slaughter house that is nothing short of a 'Chamber of Horrors'. I have also read a lot of information regarding the slaughter techniques of chickens and it is brutal, extremely cruel and these beautiful birds suffer for hours before they die, after days of suffering to be transported to the slaughterhouse. They are hung upside down from their feet, still alive. Some of them have broken legs and wings and are suffering tremendously. Then when their throats are cut, sometimes it is not carried out in a way that they die instantly and they slowly bleed to death. I strongly believe that overcrowding is an important issue without a doubt, but it is one of many much more cruel and abhorrent issues regarding the treatment of chickens. Please help these chickens, so that they can live a life without pain and suffering, can feel the sunshine on their bodies, have free range movement outside and plenty of love and compassion during their life. They are sentient beings with feelings and they deserve to be completely protected by the highest possible Animal Welfare Legislation. WE MUST BE THEIR VOICE & END THEIR TORTURE NOW.
  SALLY DIX

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• pops223 November 11, 2009 at 3:07 a.m.

  no

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• dpinn1 October 4, 2009 at 6:25 p.m.

  WHY SHOULD EU REGULATIONS GO BACK WHEN WE ARE TRYING TO IMPROVE ANIMAL WELFARE? This is unbelievably outrageous. It shouldn't be aloud. EU regulators should think about what they are doing, if it is harming any animal then why are we doing it.Chickens deserve better what have they ever done to you? I think everyone thats thinking about making this desicion should own a chicken because they are such lovely creatures that derserve so much better. Also I think its important that any food containing egg should be described on the pakaging if the eggs are free range or not. This way we can be more caring to our enviroment.

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• MellyM September 16, 2009 at 7:45 p.m.

  No! Why are we going backwards?! With everything that is being done to improve their conditions (Chicken Out etc) why should we follow suit with the rest of Europe just because they want to overcrowd and treat their meat poorly? The chicken is the most abused animal in the food chain and for that reason I stopped eating it years ago. It is one meat most likely to cause food poisoning so rearing it in overcrowded conditions simply compromises the quality before it even reaches the shelves, let alone what it does to the poor birds.

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• cfbartram September 15, 2009 at 8:49 p.m.

  No we should definately not be following the EU legislation. It is disgusting the way that chickens are treated, and it should not be allowed. A comment on here says that people think they are only chickens, but they have as much right, if not more than human beings. What harm do they do compared to a single human? I have been a member of BHWT for about 2 years, fighting for free range hens, have rescued a few, and buy nothing that has any chance of caged hens eggs in it. As for chicken,i wont eat it unless free range. More people need to start doing this, and fight for better lives for hens. And more people need to be made aware of what is happening to these poor creatures.

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• Sue September 10, 2009 at 5:34 p.m.

  No, we should not compromise on animal welfare to suit the EU. There are lots of EU regulations which are no good for us but which this barmy government seems to accept and implement without a fight, much to the detriment of those they claim to represent. Let this not be one of them!!

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• londiniumgaia September 8, 2009 at 7:37 p.m.

  NO

  let them catch up with us.....

  enough of the tyrannical ruling from the EU which is mostly fit for a Monty Python skecth at its best....

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• Hind September 5, 2009 at 8:40 p.m.

  Every living being on Earth should be treated with kindness and respect. Chickens are no different than horses, dog, cats etc...It is about time to take a serious action to acknowledge their existance and that they have the right to live and breathe a life of better conditions than they do now.

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• NEVE020700 August 29, 2009 at 2:27 p.m.

  Not at all! No one cares about chickens because they think "oh It's only some chickens who cares?" well we do so lets try to make a change about how people think about animals.

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• charlieboy August 29, 2009 at 3:16 a.m.

  agree with you entirely mags53. animal welfare groups have fought for years to get better conditions and for the government to agree to this eu regulation is like a kick in the teeth. they ignore, as you said, regulations about working laws for people including pension rights ( ie. a oap pension based on the minimum wage ) so why do they have to abide by this that takes us back years. all of it is disgusting just to gain maximum profit from a living animal.
  trouble is there are families who can't afford to buy the free-range and a cheap chicken from iceland can feed a family of 4 or more.
  so as long as that need is there these companies will flourish and we are blowing in the wind. but what we must still do is to make sure conditions dont get any worse, which is what this regulation proposes.
  im not sqeamish and i eat all meat but at least the animals to be eaten should be treated in a proper and humane way. not only for the animal but also the consumer. god knows what they are fed and what we are are inadvertenly eating.

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• charlieboy August 29, 2009 at 2:32 a.m.

  people have going over to free-range because of the publicity over bad conditions and maybe if it was more publicised about the fact that our snday lunch has been wallowing around in turds and feathers and filth and being fed christ knows what we would give a second thought to what we give little jimmy for din dins!!!!!!!!!!!!

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• bitnice August 27, 2009 at 8:37 p.m.

  Consumption of 'standard' chickens, ie chickens farmed under conditions approved by DEFRA dropped by 11% last year, higher welfare sales rose by 25%, free-range chickens by 35%. This despite the 'credit crunch' and fall in disposable income. The number of chickens reared under the RSPCA s higher welfare assurance scheme rose by 125%. (The Guardian, 25 August 2009). This highlights the fact that consumers are increasigly aware of the welfare of birds and are increasingly concerned for the well-being of the bird before slaughter. It is not realistic to expect the poulation to go vegeterian, but it is shortsighted to go against this growing movement. DEFRA should not accept the EU ruling and should not, given the miserable lives of the chickens involved, make this decision based on fear of losing consumers; rather, they should highlight the situation and highlight it positively on British chicken labels. Campaigns and education have been seen to be a massive force in changing the habits of consumers (Jamie Oliver, Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall) and Defra could utilise them, and public opinion, not take that backwards step. Lisa Howarth

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• anna1234 August 25, 2009 at 8:07 p.m.

  this is why i became a vegetarian. i think it is so wrong like beth1357 said its just so they dont have to put in the effort!

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• beth1357 August 25, 2009 at 8:05 p.m.

  why are we letting all animal welfare be shoved under the carpet. the EU jost don't want people to know and then they don't have to put in the effort. it's really wrong.

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• KatyB August 25, 2009 at 7:35 p.m.

  Of course it's not but until people stop creating the demand for cheap 'food' then the animals are going to have to suffer. An extra couple of inches per bird - Wow what a luxury!!! Just dont eat them. Of course letting a bird have more space is better than less - but how about the realisation that these animals are not products or property but sentient beings. By consuming chicken you are allowing rediculous cruelty to continue in your name whether they can stretch their wings or not. Downed birds will still be trampled and beaks will be seared off to prevent them injuring each other when they are stressed because of the dire conditions inflicted upon them. Of course Email DEFRA and stop this rediculous action but then seriously consider your actions when next tucking into a chicken.

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• Patricia1011 August 25, 2009 at 5:33 p.m.

  NO! IT IS NOT!! Please take action. Not only is this a step up to what is already a very cruel practice, but this kind of product is quite simply not good for us to eat. What kind of benefit can we get from eating a miserable stressed animal which has never seen daylight or breathed fresh air? These poor animals spend their lives standing on their own excrement because the floors of the sheds where they live are not cleaned during their entire lives (as it simply not practical to do so). So instead of cleaning, the industry douses the floors with ammonia or other chemicals and this is what these animals breathe all their lives. Still fancy eating this product??

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• Mags53 August 22, 2009 at 5:56 p.m.

  Can't get to read what this is about BUT if it is an EU regulation that means that we have to make welfare for any animal worse then we MUST ignore it - just as other countries ignore EU regs that they don't like and, indeed, our government chooses to ignore EU regs that would improve working laws for the people of this fine land.

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