Maple Lodge Farm report

SECTION X
CONCLUSIONS
The vast majority of animals raised for meat in Canada are chickens – 643 million in 2012. Economic
pressure from Canada’s supply management systems and corporate policies dictate economics over bird
welfare in the chicken meat and egg industries in Canada. A “just in time” system allows no flexibility for
unexpected events like extreme weather. Birds suffer immensely in massive numbers during production,
transport and slaughter. These birds are stressed and fragile creatures, whose bodies are pushed to
physical limits through genetics and production systems.
“Broiler” birds raised for meat are genetically selected for extreme growth. These birds have been
described as “over-grown baby birds” who grow to slaughter weight in a month. They are bred to do
little but eat, and as a result their bodies are subject to severe physiologic and metabolic problems.
They suffer heart attacks and broken bones from the stress of fast growth. These genetics need to be
changed.
Spent hens suffer “unavoidable” broken legs and wings from osteoporosis and lack of exercise when
they are roughly grabbed from battery cages, following a year of lay. Spent hens can be 90% featherless,
rendering them unable to keep warm during transport in extreme temperatures. They wait hours as
their increasingly-cold barn is emptied and the trailers are loaded. They may be transported many hours
to the slaughter plant, only to wait additional hours in trailers for their turn to be killed – with scheduling
which ensures the MLF yard staff and kill lines are working full tilt.
There are additional stressors associated with transport – including hours of food withdrawal for both
broiler birds and spent hens – to save producers the cost of feed and for human food safety – but not
bird welfare. The birds suffer metabolic deficiencies from food denial.
These systems are not humane, nor are they acceptable.
Economics over animal welfare [ 36 ]