The Animal Justice Party (AJP), Australia’s only political party dedicated to protecting animals, has criticised a recent article published on December 7, 2024, discussing biosecurity measures at a Maramarua chicken farm in New Zealand. The article mentioned the confinement of 360,000 chickens in sheds as a “state-of-the-art” response to the threat of avian influenza.
In a statement, the AJP said, “The Animal Justice Party is alarmed by the narrative presented in a recent article. While biosecurity is undoubtedly important, this farm misses the mark by portraying intensive confinement as the answer. This portrayal is both misleading and harmful. It shifts focus away from the real issue — the fundamental flaws of intensive farming systems that prioritise profits over animal welfare. Keeping chickens locked in sheds to prevent disease is extreme, unnatural, and ignores the root problem. Chickens are sentient beings with instincts to forage, scratch, and explore. Confinement denies them these basic natural behaviours, leading to immense physical and mental suffering. Chickens can count, perform basic arithmetic, show empathy, and have distinct personalities. They form complex social hierarchies and use over 30 vocalisations to communicate.”
Ironically, a problem caused by the animal agriculture industry (the avian flu epidemic highlights the flaws in high-density farming systems which help to spread any infectious disease) is addressed by the same industry by creating a whole new problem (the confinement of thousands of birds in conditions that also damage their health). Still, this industry has always been profit-driven and relied on misinformation to justify its practices, so this should not be surprising to anyone. The use of biosecurity concerns to justify such practices shifts the focus from solving systemic problems to perpetuating them.
Danette Wereta, spokesperson for the Animal Justice Party, said, “As a society, we must see through this propaganda. Confining chickens is not the solution — it’s part of the problem.”
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