(NZ) Chick destruction horrifying but humane

[Guest guest]

Chick destruction horrifying but humane

04 April 2001

http://www.stuff.co.nz/inl/index/0,1008,731791a11,FF.html

The Daily News, New Plymouth, New Zealand

 

Complaints about the slaughter of 5000 live day-old chicks in a

shredding machine are being investigated by the Ministry of

Agriculture and Forestry. But Tegel Poultry said the birds, bred to

lay eggs, were killed by " instant maceration fragmentation, " an

internationally accepted method of destruction of unwanted males.

 

On Monday, the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

received calls from distressed people reporting the killing of the

birds in an " illegal machine " .

 

MAF spokesman David Bayvel said the complaints were being

investigated.

 

To date there was absolutely no conclusions that Tegel has done

anything wrong. MAF would release a report on Wednesday, Mr Bayvel

said.

 

Tegel North Island operations manager Bill Williams (Auckland) said

today the destruction of the day-old chicks had obviously upset the

staff.

 

It was the first time it had been done in Taranaki.

 

" To the uninitiated you can totally appreciate why people might be

concerned about that.

 

" It's understandable because this is a machine that rapidly

disintegrates the chicken, so you couldn't describe it as pleasant.

 

" But the scientists and the welfarists have thought about the problem

as to how you dispose of significant numbers of chickens quickly and

humanely. "

 

As only hens laid eggs, the male chicks were killed, Mr Williams said.

 

Two methods had been adopted as preferred methods for the disposal of

surplus male chickens in New Zealand: instant maceration (instant

fragmentation) or gassing, he said.

 

Tegel had worked closely with Massey animal welfare committee

chairman, Neville Gregory, MAF enforcement officer Alan Wilson and

former SPCA president Peg Louge, to decide on preferred methods of

disposal of the unwanted day-old chicks, Mr Williams said.

 

All decided instant maceration was the most humane method of rapidly

disposing of the chicks.

 

 

 

 

 

----

NZ Anti-Vivisection Society (Inc.) National Secretary

http://www.nzavs.org.nz Phil Clayton

PO Box 9387 phil

Christchurch

New Zealand

 

ANIMAL RESEARCH T A K E S LIVES - Humans and Animals BOTH Suffer

Read this book on-line at:

http://www.health.org.nz