Right: New Zealand's "clean and green" image is valuable to food exporters. Consequently, the issue of "factory farming" in that country is politically sensitive and hotly debated.
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Arguments in favour of banning the factory farming of hens and pigs
1. Hens and pigs are sentient, social animals
A range of animal welfare groups have stressed that both pigs and chickens are aware, sentient animals with a capacity to feel pain and experience fear. It is argued that decisions about these animals' treatment must acknowledge these capacities. They are not, it is argued, like either plants or lower order animals such as shellfish, whose sensory capabilities are either absent or relatively undeveloped.
Sentience in an animal is defined as its 'being aware of its surroundings, its relationships with other animals and humans, and of sensations in its own body, including pain, hunger, heat or cold'.
In 2012, an international group of eminent neuroscientists signed The Cambridge Declaration on Consciousness, which confirmed that many animals, including all mammals and birds, possess the 'neurological substrates that generate consciousness'.
It has further been argued that the capacity of birds and mammals to feel pain is likely to be similar to that of human beings. Comparing the physiological similarities between these lower order animals and human beings, Peter Singer, the DeCamp Professor of Bioethics at Princeton University, has stated, 'It is surely unreasonable to suppose that nervous systems that are virtually identical physiologically, have a common origin and a common evolutionary function, and result in similar forms of behaviour in similar circumstances should actually operate in an entirely different manner on the level of subjective feelings.'
Animal welfare groups claim that an animal's ability to experience pain and fear places human beings under a moral obligation not to inflict those sensations on animals being raised either as pets or to supply food products.
The animal rights group Voiceless has stated, 'Cruelty towards animals cannot be justified by their level of cognition, communication skills or sheer difference of species - traits which are irrelevant to an animal's capacity for suffering and preference for a good life.'
It is also claimed that the social bonds of both chickens and pigs is often under-estimated. It has been demonstrated that chickens share information with specific calls to communicate their frustration, the discovery of food or the presence of a predator, suggesting some level of language. While, familiar pigs greet each other by touching noses and grunting, and those with close bonds groom each other. Both species are distressed if their social behaviours are disrupted.
2. Conditions in factory farms inflict pain and stress on the animals
It has been claimed that the practices that occur on 'factory farms' inflict significant pain on pigs and chickens and cause distress for each species.
Piglets have their teeth cut or filed back to prevent damage to the sows from which they suckle. Those sows when pregnant are confined to small sow stalls. Sow stalls are metal cages which female pigs, after being mated, are confined to for between six and 16 weeks, the full duration of their pregnancy. The animals are unable to turn around or make themselves comfortable. They are moved to an even smaller farrowing crate, immediately before giving birth.
As they are unable to move, the pregnant pigs are forced to lie down in the same space where they urinate and defecate. Rather than individual feeding troughs, many sow stall sheds utilise long grooves or ditches that span across multiple stalls, where their bodily fluids can mix with the food. The pigs inability to shift position means they sometimes suffer from injuries such as swollen limbs and lameness. The alternative to sow stalls in intensive pig farming is group housing. This system of housing allows female pigs to move in and out of the sow stalls and into a small area with other females, still within confined areas in large sheds. This method, though allowing for greater movement, leads to more fighting between sows.
Regarding the intensive farming of laying fowl for the production of eggs, some twelve million hens are confined in cages, often containing up to three other hens, which allow them a space of approximately the size of an A4 sheet of paper. There is not sufficient room for the hens to stretch their wings. Animals Australia notes, 'The combination of lack of exercise and continual egg-laying, which depletes hens of calcium, leads to weakened bones. It is estimated that one in six battery hens live in their cages with untreated broken bones.'
Animals Australia also notes. 'As chicks, egg-laying hens are commonly 'debeaked'. This involves slicing off part of the bird's sensitive beak with infra-red rays or a hot iron.' This procedure is performed without an anaesthetic.
More chickens are raised in factory farms for their meat than any other animal - 435 million in Australia every year. Animals Australia has stated, 'These birds spend their lives inside a dimly lit shed with tens of thousands of other birds. Bred to grow at three times their natural rate, these animals are still babies - just five weeks old - when they are slaughtered. They may be the size of an adult bird, but they still have baby feathers, baby blue eyes and cheep like chicks the day of their death.' It has also been claimed by Animals Australia that, 'Unnaturally rapid growth...causes a range of debilitating physical problems ranging from heart disease to lameness.'
3. There is growing community support for 'free-range' farm products
It has been noted that though a majority of consumers still buy factory-farmed eggs, chicken meat and pork, there is a steady growth in demand for free-range products.
In an article published in Farm Weekly on October 27, 2014, Andrew Marshall wrote, 'Demand for free-range eggs has jumped more than 15 per cent in the past five years and now accounts for one in every five eggs produced in Australia.'
Farmers have been warned that if they do not reduce their production of caged eggs they are likely to find themselves with product they are unable to sell.
The research group IBIS World has stated, 'As supermarkets and fast food outlets change their purchasing policies, cage eggs producers could find themselves having to accept lower prices from downstream players, or selling their eggs for processing into low-value powder.'
Woolworths has committed to phasing out all caged eggs and to no longer using cage eggs as an ingredient in their home brand products and to labelling the hen stocking density on Woolworths Select free range eggs. In 2012 Coles announced that it would stop selling company branded pork, ham and bacon produced from pigs kept in crammed stalls and company branded caged eggs by 2013. Woolworths has similarly ceased selling home brand products produced from stall-confined pigs.
Fast food outlets McDonalds and Subway have also responded to consumer demand by stating they are switching to free-range products. On September 12, 2014, McDonald's announced that it would have replaced caged eggs with free-range eggs in all its 900 restaurants by 2017. In an apparent response to consumer concerns, McDonalds posted on facebook, 'We'd like to let our fans know first and announce that we're working towards a move to cage-free eggs with our suppliers by the end of 2017. This is part of a broader animal welfare initiative, which we will share more details on in the coming weeks.' The reference to a 'broader animal welfare initiative' has led some commentators to speculate that McDonalds may also be going to source its chicken meat differently. On September 17, in a similar response to consumer pressure, Subway also announced on its facebook page that it was phasing out caged eggs.
4. Free-range products are of a higher quality and promote human health
Supporters of free-range chicken meat, eggs and pork argue that they are a better option for promoting human health
A growing body of research indicates that pasture-raised meat, eggs, and dairy products are better for consumers' health than conventionally-raised, grain-fed foods. In addition to being lower in calories and total fat, pasture-raised foods have higher levels of vitamins, and a healthier balance of omega-3 and omega-6 fats than conventional meat and dairy products.
Free-range chickens have 21 percent less total fat, 30 percent less saturated fat and 28 percent fewer calories than their factory-farmed counterparts. Eggs from poultry raised on pasture have 10 percent less fat, 40 percent more vitamin A and 400 percent more omega-3's.
Animals grown on pasture do not suffer the disease burden of those grown under unnatural confined conditions and therefore do not need to be constantly fed antibiotics to keep them in good health. Over use of antibiotics in production animals can have far-reaching human health effects, perhaps contributing to the rise of antibiotic resistant bacteria that can affect both animals and humans. 80 percent of antibiotics in the United States are fed to animals, mostly to make them grow faster and prevent them from getting sick and dying under dirty and crowded conditions.
In pork, another major health consideration is the quality of the fat. This is largely determined by the nature of the pigs' diet. Pasture-reared pigs have an opportunity to forage and eat a wider variety of naturally-occurring foods. The typical diet for factory-farmed pigs is largely based on corn and soybean meal, together with other by-product additives. This feed is very high in Omega-6 PUFA which then forms a major component of the meat the pig produces. Omega-6 PUFA induces inflammation and is not recommended as a major part of a healthy diet.
5. Free-range, pasture-based production is more environmentally friendly and sustainable
It has been claimed that less intensive agricultural practices do less environmental damage, product stronger animals and overall are more environmentally sustainable.
Regarding egg production, it has been claimed that cage systems use more energy and water and produce more pollution. When smaller flocks forage outdoors, the manure can be absorbed into the ground as fertilizer. When tens of thousands of hens are kept on one farm, the huge volume of manure becomes a disposal problem. When it seeps into the waterways, high levels of phosphorus boost algae growth and kill fish. When it decomposes, it releases ammonia, methane and other harmful gases into the air.
It has also been claimed that non-intensively reared pigs and chickens increase agricultural biodiversity. In Australia, most pork, for example, comes from just three breeds of pig - Large White, Landrace, and Duroc - because these breeds are most suitable for confinement breeding operations. Most pastured pork, however, comes from hardy, self-sufficient heirloom breeds, such as the Large Black, Berkshire, Saddleback and Tamworth crossed with commercial breeds. Increased bio-diversity increases the disease resistance of a species.