Avian flu outbreaks in the UK are severe enough that it is claimed that free range eggs and free range chickens may no longer be feasible in the UK and other parts of Europe, according to a story in the Guardian. Our Executive Director, Dan Crossley, is quoted in the article arguing that radically changing the rules on what constitute free range would surely only further confuse the general public.
Dan Crossley, commenting on the issue, said:
“What matters is that farmed animals are allowed to live a good life as possible – and that the public know as much as possible about how laying hens are treated. With significant improvements in recent years in moving away from cage-free eggs, it’s important that long-term solutions are found to maintain and further strengthen, not weaken, farmed animal welfare standards. There needs to be a collective agreement reached quickly on what short-term measures are needed and on how to address the root causes of avian flu outbreaks in the first place.
You can read the full article in the Guardian here.