Humane farming?

SINCE when did farming become inhumane?

Apparently it has, in something called "factory farming," where animals-mainly pigs and chickens-are mass-produced in confined spaces.

Early this week representatives from more than 30 countries came together to discuss factory farming and other animal welfare issues. The Manila Conference on Animal Welfare was organized by the Philippine Society for the Protection of Animals (PSPA), the Bureau of Animal Industry (BAI) and the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA). The delegates were mostly representatives of government agencies, veterinarians and other experts in animal science tasked with enforcing animal welfare laws.

Many Filipinos tend to scoff at animal welfare issues as a "Western" imposition, complaining that we have enough of "people" problems, what with the economic crisis, the war in Iraq, political problems. But we forget that humans and animals interact so closely that neglecting the welfare of one can adversely affect the other. The problems from factory farming certainly show this link.

Let's start with the chickens. In factory farming, the chickens are raised in battery cages, often in such crowded conditions the birds cannot even flap their wings. Such birds develop behavioral problems, pecking each other and pulling off feathers.

Chickens being raised for their meat suffer even more. Besides the battery cages limiting their movements, they're stuffed with "growth promoters" to make them put on weight twice as fast as the natural rate. The goal is to get the birds ready for the market by the time they're six or seven weeks old, but rearing them in battery cages can cripple the chickens. Other birds die from heart failure because of their abnormally rapid metabolism.

Another controversial practice in factory farming is the confinement of breeding sows to narrow crates, together with their piglets, for about four weeks, during which time they cannot walk, exercise or even turn around. Supposedly, this prevents the mother pigs from lying on her piglets and smothering them, but scientific research shows that if sows have enough space and bedding material, they are able to raise their piglets without problems.

The overcrowding doesn't end with the rearing. I always dread it when I'm stuck in traffic behind a truck transporting chickens or pigs to the market. Again, the animals are stuffed in large numbers into small cages or crates and sometimes you can see chickens dead or barely alive.

So what, you may ask, aren't they going to be slaughtered anyway? People are unaware that the overcrowding in farms and in transport vehicles, not to mention the maltreatment of the animals by caretakers, transport haulers and the butchers, all contribute to many serious problems that will get back to humans.

The quality of the meat, eggs and dairy products from animals raised in factory farming is lower than that of less stressed animals. People seem to have known of this link between stress and meat quality for ages. Invoking the need for compassion, Muslims have, for example, evolved strict guidelines on how animals are to be slaughtered for food: a sharp knife has to be used to cause as little stress and pain as possible.

Animals raised through factory farming are also more vulnerable to disease. There are many reasons for this increased vulnerability. Stress means lowered immunity to disease. Moreover, the physical overcrowding means disease-causing agents can spread quickly. The hygiene in these factory farms can suffer, given the larger quantities of waste that have to be disposed. Even minor neglect here can trigger disease outbreaks.

Some of the livestock diseases can be passed on to humans. Hong Kong's bird flu problem was one of the more recent examples, but there are many other outbreaks that have occurred, sometimes even without our being conscious of its links to factory farming. An example would be diarrhea from Salmonella-infected eggs.

Besides the public health angle, factory farming can adversely affect people's livelihoods. Traditional backyard farming often cannot compete with large factory farming enterprises. Which is a shame because traditional backyard farming has its advantages. "Native" varieties of chickens and pigs are "free-ranging," meaning they roam freely. Humans still provide their feed but they also scavenge on their own for additional food. The animals aren't quite as plump or large as those coming from factory farming but they're healthier and, many will claim, tastier. (I notice food companies are now trying to cash in on the demand for "native" chickens, producing instant noodles and chicken bouillon with this "native" flavor.)

The intention of factory farming was to reduce the unit costs of production, but we're now beginning to see that in the long run, we may end up paying more. Factory farming relies on large quantities of grain--including imported ones--for animal feed. And even if the grain is produced locally, we're still talking about land that could have been used to produce food for human consumption.

The campaign against factory farming has produced results. In Europe, for example, chicken battery cages are now being phased out. Unfortunately, I was told at the conference, some of those battery cages are now being dumped in Third World countries, including the Philippines.

Are there alternatives right now? I could make a pitch for vegetarianism. But for those who insist on being carnivorous, I'd say patronize livestock producers that don't use factory farming. That can include farmers who raise livestock in their backyards. Check with the weekend organic markets at Magallanes in Makati and the Podium in Mandaluyong, as well as your wet market vendors, for free-range chickens and eggs. And for more information on the campaign against factory farming, write PSPA at abagulto@mydestiny.net