Len Brown gets haybales from giant chicken and Ms. Santa Claus

Today at 10.30am, Ms. Santa Claus and a giant chicken delivered haybales to Len Brown’s office, urging Auckland City Council to decline a resource consent application sought by cage egg producer Craddock Farms.

Craddock Farms are proposing to build the biggest caged hen farm in the country in Patumahoe, South Auckland. Auckland City Council are currently considering the application following the resource consent hearing held last month. Their decision is due on Christmas Eve.

Deirdre Sims of the Stop Craddock Farms campaign says, “Today I’ll dress up as Ms. Santa Claus and, accompanied by a giant chicken, will take several haybales into Len Brown’s office,”

“Hens need straw to nest and carry out their natural behaviours. Hens can’t nest properly in cages or carry out any type of normal behaviour at all”.

There has been significant opposition to the Craddock Farms proposal. Patumahoe residents have a campaign to stop the factory farm and animal welfare organisations SAFE and the RNZSPCA have joined the Green Party in expressing serious concern about the proposal.

“Today we’re urging Auckland City Council to act with the spirit of Christmas and decline Craddock Farms’ application. To give the go-ahead to this proposal would be a backwards step for New Zealand going against overseas trends (1),”

“We want to see a ban on all cages and hope that our Christmas delivery will influence Auckland City Council to make the right decision for caged hens,” says Ms. Sims.

Ends.

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