An animal cruelty case in British Columbia rocks the poultry industry as calls grow for answers and solutions
Disturbing, sadistic, sickening and reprehensible: these are the adjectives used by the Canadian chicken industry and the British Columbia SPCA to describe an undercover video made public June 12 that shows workers abusingchickens. The video was shot by a worker with the Mercy for Animals group at operations in B.C.’s Fraser Valley. It shows chicken […] Read moreTag Archives poultry
Scandal rocks Brazil meat sector; China, S. Korea suspend imports
SAO PAULO/BEIJING (Reuters) — Fallout from a corruption scandal in Brazil’s massive meat industry spread this week with China and South Korea suspending some imports and the European Union mulling action, hitting shares of the world biggest poultry producer BRF SA. With other suspensions expected to follow, the Brazilian police operation codenamed Weak Flesh could […] Read more
Laser beams quiet and efficient at scaring wild birds away
An organic egg farm in England has set up a novel method of protecting its hens from bird flu allowing them to stay outdoors. Orchard Eggs based in West Sussex is using the latest laser technology from a Dutch company to scare off wild migratory birds and prevent them mixing with the farm’s chickens. The […] Read more
No shell, no problem: eggs find new niche
BANFF, Alta. — Eggs are a common food but new processes are adding value in unusual ways. “Eggs are ubiquitous,” said Jonathan Merkle, chief science officer for the egg processing company Michael Foods, a $2.5-billion-a-year company that has its own farms and processing companies in the United States. It is estimated that 93 percent of […] Read more
Does ‘cage-free’ really lead to better animal welfare?
Farm group releases draft code of practice for laying hens amid conflicting studies about what’s best for animal health
Jackie Wepruk was trying to be tactful, but her body language said otherwise. Wepruk twisted her body and tightened her mouth as she used the words “cage free,” as if it pained her to utter the phrase. Wepruk is general manager of the National Farm Animal Care Council, a group with a diverse array of […] Read more
It’s an exotic life
TWIN BUTTE, Alta. — There’s a wooden bench beside a small stream and tiny pond in Donna Cromarty’s chicken run. Some folks might be inclined to sit there and admire the green foothills and imposing blue Rocky Mountains a scant distance away from that perch. Cromarty sits there to watch her chickens. And sometimes the […] Read more
Lights out for better bird health
Changes to lighting requirements in chicken and turkey barns are among the most significant updates to the Code of Practice for the Care and Handling of Hatching Eggs, Breeders, Chickens and Turkeys, says a chicken farmer who helped update the code. Vernon Froese of Manitoba was chair of the code development committee, which posted the […] Read more
Retailers commit to cage-free eggs by 2025
The era of keeping hens in cages may be coming to an end. Major players in Canadian retail, including Walmart, Loblaws and Sobeys, today committed to purchase cage-free eggs by the end of 2025. The Retail Council of Canada’s grocery members have considered adopting a cage-free policy for a while. “There have been significant discussions […] Read more
Cranberries seen to boost immunity in chickens
DRESDEN, Ont. — Most people know cranberries go with Christmas dinner. Now, an Agriculture Canada researcher has found that the tart fruit boosts immunity when fed to young birds. Mortality was decreased 50 percent when Moussa S. Diarra and his research team fed small amounts of cranberry extract to broiler chickens during their first 10 […] Read more
Company runs ‘afowl’ of egg producers group
Alberta firm specializes in collecting eggs from small producers, but Egg Farmers of Alberta says rules not followed
NOBLEFORD, Alta. — Eggs supplied by 26 farmers move efficiently through the washing and grading process at Galimax Trading Inc. From there, the company distributes them on the producers’ behalf to restaurants in the Calgary area. How much longer that will occur is open to question because of an ongoing clash between Galimax and Egg […] Read more
