Change Is Coming: Factory Farms' Days May Be Numbered

[xchrom]

http://www.commondreams.org/view/2012/11/28-0



In one of history's most stunning victories for humane farming, Australia's largest supermarket chain, Coles, will as of January 1 stop selling company branded pork and eggs from animals kept in factory farms. As an immediate result, 34,000 mother pigs will no longer be kept in stalls for long periods of their lives, and 350,000 hens will be freed from cages.

Not to be outdone, the nation's other dominant supermarket chain, Woolworths, has already begun phasing out factory farmed animal products. In fact all of Woolworth's house brand eggs are now cage-free, and by mid-2013 all of their pork will come from farmers who operate stall-free farms.

Coles and Woolworths together account for a dominant 80 percent of all supermarket sales in Australia.

The move to open up the cages was fueled by "consumer sentiment," and it has been synchronous with a major campaign against factory farming of animals led by Animals Australia. The campaign features a TV ad, titled "When Pigs Fly," in which an adorable piglet tells the story of animals sentenced to life in cramped cages, and then flies to freedom.

[mother earth]

1. Excellent article, xchrom. May it be the harbinger of things to come.

[juajen]

2. I certainly hope so. I love bacon and feel guilty for it.

I think I need to be a vegan. It's that bacon, damn it, and don't get me started on hot dogs.

[loudsue]

11. Are you related to my husband?? He can't stop bacon.

It's a real problem.

[AnneD]

3. As the beneficiary....

of my brother's self sufficiency farm, I say BRAVO.

I can't stand to eat any other type of eggs or veggies. There is a real difference in the taste.

[xchrom]

4. ...

[blackspade]

5. I only hope that happens here in the US .

I buy all cage free and grass fed now, so hopefully this will be a trend that will spread.

[zeemike]

6. Hopefully we can import that down under spirit here.

You really have to look for food that does not come from a factory farm in most places here.
K&R

[dhill926]

7. fantastic news.....

hope it spreads around the globe.

[Vincardog]

12. What dhill926 said "hope it spreads around the globe."

[libodem]

8. Thanks X

You do a fantastic job of bringing us good articles.

[NickB79]

9. Hate to burst everyone's bubble, but......

Last edited Wed Nov 28, 2012, 09:03 PM - Edit history (1)

Just because an operation operates as cage-free, that in no way changes the fact that it's still a factory farm. Now, instead of cages the chickens will be held in facilities like this: http://www.upc-online.org/freerange.html Tell me that's not a factory farm.

The same thing applies to hog farms. They haven't removed hog pens altogether to allow them to run free in pastures; they've simply removed the farrowing stalls that they put pregnant hogs in to prevent them from laying on and eating their own young.

Just because a facility that produces 200,000 chickens a year or 50,000 hogs a year doesn't use AS constricting of pens in no way makes them less of factory farms. They're still industrialized meat-production centers run like factory floors with little regard for the health of their individual animals. Is this change better for livestock? Hell yes! Do these actions support the premise of the article title? Not even close. We still have a long, long way to go to get rid of these forms of "farming".

On edit: fixed the link, had an unnecessary period at the end.

[Vincardog]

13. Error: 404 Not Found The page you requested could not be found. Please use the search or links bel

[mother earth]

14. Every change is to be applauded, until we get to where it is truly humane. Yes, we still have a

long way to go, but if we don't start somewhere, we'll never get there.

[BlancheSplanchnik]

15. yes, true.

I buy cruelty free whenever possible. Easier to find in the large grocery in the city than at the little rural grocery when I was in the country! That always pissed me off...I had many talks with the manager over the years to get soymilk, recycled paper towels and toilet paper, etc. Yeesh...incredible that it was such a damn issue. And, don't get me started about the strawberries from California-----DURING STRAWBERRY SEASON IN NY STATE!!!!!!!!!!!

[robinlynne]

10. wonderful!!!!

[1620rock]

16. ...oh God, those pictures horrify me. I am a vegen.

yet this one small jester of mine does nothing to stem the cruelty. I fucking HATE people anymore (myself included). May GOD DAMN this unholy race of flesh eating ignorant hairless ape savages!

[BadGimp]

17. I hope social sharing via the internet played a role

great news regsardless