Chickens next weapons of Œmass destruction¹?

"Recent media reports that New Zealanders are falling ill after eating chicken comes as no surprise", says Hans Kriek, Campaign Director of SAFE, New Zealand¹s largest animal rights organisation.

"In New Zealand, we cram millions of chickens inside barren automated sheds, make them walk, feed and rest in their own excrement for their entire lives, and wonder why they carry disease? To make matters worse we also routinely feed them antibiotic growth promotants. These chickens, once eaten, have the potential to cause resistance to antibiotics in humans, something of major concern to the medical profession. A 2002 Christchurch supermarket survey found twenty five percent of fresh chicken to be contaminated with campylobacter on the outside of the packaging. Supermarket trolleys must now be viewed quite literally as carriers ‹ carriers of a potentially deadly disease that is", says Mr Kriek.

"The New Zealand Poultry Industry produces 1.5 million chickens per week. If the Christchurch research is anything to go by, then close to four hundred thousand chickens contaminated with campylobacter are sold to unsuspecting consumers every single week! Why is this irresponsible industry not held to account for producing these chickens of Œmass destruction¹?"

"We also have to thank NAWAC (The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee) for the fact that these disease-ridden chickens will be with us for decades to come. It was this committee that, despite strong opposition, decided that New Zealand¹s meat chickens could continue to be farmed under extremely unnatural, overcrowded and cruel conditions."

SAFE is now calling on the Minister of Agriculture, Jim Sutton, to put public safety and the welfare of animals before corporate greed by ending all intensive farming of chickens.

"As a nation we are told to wash our hands after handling our disease- spreading chicken dinner. The time has now come to wash our hands of this cruel and unhealthy farming system altogether."

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