A growing number of poultry animals are raised in production centres where they are kept along with their waste in a very small land area.
A growing majority of chickens and pigs are raised on industrial farm animal production (IFAP) facilities, also called factory farms, where tens of thousands of animals are confined, along with their waste, on a very small land area. Globally, such facilities account for an estimated 67 per cent of poultry meat production, 50 per cent of egg production and 42 per cent of pork production.
Operations with 10,000 to 50,000 hens crowded into one small shed are now quite common in India. India is one of the top four broiler chicken producers in the world. The nation’s 230 million hens produce around 48.5 billion eggs a year. Nearly 2.4 billion broiler chickens, though not confined in cages, also experience crowded confinement, poor air quality and stressful handling.
In addition to the animal welfare issues associated with IFAP, these operations adversely affect the environment, people’s health and the lives of small farmers rearing them at the centre.
Environment
According to the United States’ department of agriculture’s (USDA’s) Economic Research Service, IFAP operations in the United States produced 1.23 million tonnes of nitrogen from manure spread on fields in 2007, however, cropland and pasture owned by these operations only had the capacity to assimilate 38 per cent of the nitrogen produced.
Industrial poultry production operations produce 52 per cent excess phosphorous and 64 per cent excess nitrogen created by farm animal waste in the United States. Run-off from poultry operations into the Chesapeake Bay in eastern United States had been blamed for outbreak of Pfisteria piscidia in water, killing millions of fish and causing skin irritation, short-term memory loss and other cognitive problems among local residents.
Human Health
In industrial egg operation centres, air is laden with pollutants such as ammonia, hydrogen sulphide and dust containing allergens, fungi and endotoxins, making it more difficult for both birds and workers to breathe. Exposure to endotoxins often leads to respiratory ailments among workers in caged hen facilities.
Excess nitrates from IFAP operations in groundwater can cause “blue baby syndrome” among infants. The blood of babies with this syndrome is unable to carry enough oxygen to body cells and tissues.
In 1996, 7,000 Japanese schoolchildren were infected with Escherichia coli type O157:H7 (that breeds on intestines of cows and other animals) after eating sprouts that were probably irrigated with manure-contaminated water.
Animal manure has been found to be the source of more than 100 zoonotic pathogens that may directly contaminate the food supply. In India, staff members of the Humane Society International (HSI), an animal protection organisation, have observed streams of manure-polluted water flowing out of IFAP operations and into the surrounding villages.
Airborne bacteria present at IFAP operations can potentially transfer antibiotic-resistant bacteria from intensively farmed animals to labourers and others who live near such operation centres. Households that consume eggs produced at IFAP operation centres also face health risks. Induced moulting by withholding feed, a practice commonly used to revive productivity of aging hens or to temporarily halt production due to adverse market conditions, imposes significant stress on birds and have been found to severely affect their immune systems. They become more susceptible to infections such as salmonella enteridis, which can then be passed on to those who consume these eggs.
A report by the International Food Policy Research Institute warns that salmonella infections are on the rise in India and elsewhere, and pose significant threat to public health in large Asian cities where huge numbers of birds are raised for food. Even though the Animal Welfare Board of India has directed all egg producers to immediately discontinue starvation to induce moulting, the implementation of the order remains a challenge.
Rural Economy
The rising environmental problem due to caged confinement of farm animals is likely to intensify in India with the government opening up the animal rearing sector for foreign direct investments.
As of now, six large poultry companies account for nearly 40 per cent of egg production in India. Industry reports state India will see the market further consolidating, leading to the dominance of large scale producers and more harmful elements in the environment.
Environmentalists who have studied the effect of animal breeding on environment in the United States have emphasised the asymmetrical relationship in waste produced with the dumping facility available. Consequently, recent policy changes in the United States have indicated a clear move away from the intensive confinement of farm animals.
Due to rising public concern about food safety and animal welfare, the European Union (EU) is phasing out the intensive confinement of farm animals. The United Kingdom has already banned gestation crates for sows, in addition to having rigorous codes of animal welfare for other farm animals. In Switzerland, battery cages, gestation crates and sow stalls have been prohibited since 1992. Belgium is phasing out use of all types cages in egg production. New Zealand and Tasmania (Australia) are also phasing out gestation crates for sows.
In India, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960, specifically forbids the keeping or confinement of “any animals in any cage or receptacle which does not measure sufficiently in height, length and breadth to permit the animal a reasonable opportunity for movement”. India has failed so far to enforce the space allowance for animals required by the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. This loophole makes it easy for foreign animal production companies to want to invest in India in industrial farm animal production system since they realise they do not have to implement progressive animal welfare standards
