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Chicken production blatantly violates animal welfare and food safety laws

The egg and chicken production rampantly violates the most basic animal welfare and food safety laws of the country.

Chickens are fed antibiotics as growth promoters, because of the rapid unnatural weight gain their legs get crippled, they are sent on rigorous journeys to meat markets without food or water, at the meat markets there is no health inspection conducted on them and they are slaughtered in the most brutal ways.

We, the undersigned, call upon you to please:

  • issue an advisory to all states stating that slaughter of chickens to take place in licensed slaughterhouses as per the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food businesses) Regulation, 2011
  • direct Animal Welfare Division of the DAHD to form a committee to monitor welfare of farmed animals and appoint a sub committee at every district and taluka level
  • introduce in ovo sex determination technology to avoid the brutal killings of male chicks

Petitioning:
Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries

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A second investigation by Animal Equality brings to light the practices followed by chicken farms that violate animal welfare and food safety standards.

Read the petition

What we saw

Animal Equality investigated several chicken farms and meat markets between February 2019 and October 2020 in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, which are known for their chicken production.

It is a routine practice to give feed laced with antibiotics to grow their bodies unnaturally fast.
The birds legs get crippled because of the unnatural weight gain. They can’t walk or reach the food or water. Many chickens fall ill and die of starvation, others die of heart attacks or respiratory infections.
Chickens are bred in most filthiest conditions due to which they develop diseases, many die of heart attacks or respiratory infections. The carcasses are left to rot among living birds.
Once they reach their maximum weight, the chickens are crammed into the transport truck in large numbers. The birds are sent on rigorous journeys to meat markets which last for hours, sometimes days without food or water. Many die while the rest are barely alive.
At the meat market, the birds are crammed into small cages for hours and sometimes days without any food or water. Many chickens intended for slaughter develop various infections and diseases. There is no health inspection conducted on the birds.
The chickens throats are slit and they are thrown into drain bins where they languish in pain for several minutes before they die.

What we need

This is Animal Equality’s second investigation into chicken farms. After exposing the cruel and illegal practices on chicken farms in 2017, Animal Equality presented its finding to the government along with a list of recommendations to reduce the suffering of chickens. Animal Equality has also requested the government to:

Implement slaughter rules

As per the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food businesses) Regulation, 2011, animals must be slaughtered at licensed slaughterhouses, but this is violated across the country. The unhygienic condition of meat markets also give rise to malaria, typhoid, jaundice and other diseases among residents living in the area. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001 state that animals have to be stunned prior to slaughter, which is never practiced while slaughtering chickens.

Introduce in-ovo sexing technology

Animal Equality has also requested the government to introduce in ovo sex determination technology. Male chicks are killed in disturbing ways- by grinding, drowning, burning, crushing and suffocation, or fed alive to fish. Over 180 millions chicks are killed in such a brutal manner every year. This mass unnecessary torture and killing is in direct violation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Form a committee to monitor welfare

A committee to monitor welfare of animals should be assigned at every district and taluka level which will be working under the central animal husbandry department.

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