Mass production? Animal Welfare

Hmmm, delicious grilled schnitzel or pasta with minced sauce - we prefer not to imagine so clearly when eating that living beings have to live and die under conditions that are often very stressful and stressful for this enjoyment.

Species-appropriate animal husbandry: oppressive confinement, stress, boredom, health problems, behavioral problems - that's all life has to offer for many of the animals that later end up on our plates. But as with most products, not all meat is the same, the same goes for milk and eggs. You can also buy meat and animal products that come from animals that are raised in a humane manner. They mostly had better lives.

Not enough space

If you want to keep animals in a species-appropriate manner, you have to know the innate behavior and needs of cows, pigs, chickens, etc. and try to implement this as best as possible on the farms.
So, for example, if you know that pigs never poop where they sleep or eat, then they shouldn't have to change this behavior even in captivity. Or: No animal lives voluntarily in closed rooms by nature, so you should always give them the opportunity to get some fresh air. Contact with one another also plays a major role for animals in the wild. Protected retreats are just as important as friendly encounters and social gatherings. Unfortunately, the reality is different for most farm animals: the majority of pigs, cows, turkeys and chickens live in small spaces.
They shouldn't move around so much because then they use less energy and gain weight quickly and there is simply no need to build such large stables. The living space of farm animals is not only limited, but often uncomfortable and can lead to injuries. For example, slatted floors are common in keeping fattening pigs. These are concrete floors that have cracks or holes through which animal feces fall. Straw bedding? Mostly none. This would be so important for the pigs' well-being and their ability to exercise their own species-specific behavior. But straw bedding takes work and costs money. Not doing this saves the farmer from having to muck out - but often leads to pressure sores, injuries, stress and behavioral problems in the pigs. Things don't look much better for cows: ___STEADY_PAYWALL___ Cows, for example, only produce milk if they have calves (for which the milk was originally intended...). So each dairy cow gives birth to one calf per year, but the calf is only allowed to drink from the mother cow for a few days. The calves are then separated from their mother and taken to intensive fattening. For the first two weeks they stand there day and night in narrow boxes with fully slatted floors, are fed with milk replacer and far too many calves die in the first weeks of life without ever having set foot in a pasture. The light, tender veal is considered a special delicacy and is used, for example, to make Wiener Schnitzel.

Psychological stress

Another major problem in intensive animal farming – often referred to as “factory farming” in the media – is the great psychological strain and stress that the animals are often under. The pigs usually have their curly tails cut off so that they don't bite each other's tails out of boredom and aggression. Turkeys and chickens are generally overwhelmed by living in huge groups. They usually live in manageable “teams” with a clear hierarchy. If there are too many “colleagues”, they can no longer remember the ranking of the other bird and react aggressively: They peck at their fellow birds - even to the point of cannibalism - or pull out their own feathers out of frustration.

Lots of medication

Unfortunately, the use of medication in intensive care is also widespread. The mass administration of antibiotics is particularly sensitive. The problem: Bacteria are very adaptable and develop resistance to antibiotics, which means that the drugs simply no longer work. The more often antibiotics are used, the more resistant bacteria spread. And they don't stay in the stables, but can also end up in our kitchens with the meat. pay careful attention to hygiene when handling raw meat , some bacteria can make you sick.
Some serious foodborne infections need to be treated with antibiotics - but if the infection is caused by resistant bacteria, the antibiotics won't help and the illness will be more severe and last longer.
Science must therefore constantly invent new antibiotics in order to be able to cure serious diseases. But that is not so easy. One would rather not imagine what the world would look like if there were no longer any effective remedies against dangerous bacteria! It would therefore be better if animals were kept in such a way that they need as little medication as possible. Consumers and politicians who care about their own health and that of animals are therefore demanding the following for meat, egg and milk production:

• enough space for the animals to move around
• Separation of places for eating, resting and defecating
• year-round exit
• Employment opportunities, no boredom
• sufficient fresh air and natural daylight in the stable
• Contact with conspecifics

You can probably imagine what this means for you if the animals are raised in a species-appropriate manner: meat, eggs and milk become more expensive. Then you will no longer find a kilo of bratwurst that costs 4.50 euros and is therefore cheaper than many kilos of fruit. If you want to be sure that the meat, milk and eggs you buy come from the happiest animals possible, you have the following options:

1. Organic meat, milk and eggs have long been available in normal shops and of course in organic shops, organic markets etc. Even though “organic” is primarily about environmental protection, the regulations for organic animal husbandry also include this More species-appropriate housing conditions, for example through more space and bedding in the stable and outdoor run.
2. You can also help ensure that animals are kept better by purchasing conventional animal foods. The animal protection label of the German Animal Welfare Association has been in existence since January 2013, which reliably signals that meat, milk and eggs come from animals that have had a significantly better life than in usual intensive farming - more about that here .
3. And for some time now, many shops have been using a “type of husbandry” seal to mark the type of animal husbandry on meat. From 2022, the seal will also be found more often on milk and dairy products:
   • In housing type 1, “stable housing”, the animals have the least space and are not allowed to go out.
   • With housing type 2 “Stable Housing Plus” there is a little more space for the animals, but they are not allowed to leave here either.
   • The housing type 3 “outdoor climate” offers the animals significantly more space and they can breathe in the fresh air from outside, either in an outdoor area or at least on an air-permeable side of the stable.
   • The housing type 4 “Premium” comes closest to the needs of the animals with the most space in the stable and they are also really allowed to go outside.

   Pay attention, you'll definitely find meat and milk with a "type of husbandry" label in your store. Anyone who buys products from farming method 3 or, better yet, 4, contributes significantly to better living conditions for the animals.

4. When it comes to eggs, the way in which they are kept has to be specified for much longer. Although not with the “keeping form” seal like with meat, it must be stated on the package whether the eggs come from free range or barn farming or whether they are organic eggs. You can also recognize the type of housing directly from the stamp on the egg. In organic and free-range farming, the chickens have the most species-appropriate living conditions.

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Links on the topic:

• Information from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center about meat and poultry
• Information from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center on male chicks from laying hens
• Information from the North Rhine-Westphalia Consumer Center on the “keeping form” labeling of meat

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Source: Checked4You