Agriculture stakeholders create awareness on abusive poultry farming practices in Africa

 

By: Ellen Shihepo

The Africa Network for Animal Welfare (ANAW), in partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Land Reform (MAFWLR), is calling on journalists to educate the public, government and farmers on the abusive practices of caged chicken farming in the continent.

During a first-of-its-kind “cage free chicken farming for media” workshop in Windhoek on Tuesday, ANAW CEO, Josia Ojwang, said the ignored welfare of chickens in cages negatively affects the meat and eggs produced in cramped spaces.

The initiative is called the Open Wing Alliance.

Ojwang explained how the common practice of cages creates stressors, discomfort and pain for poultry, causing unnecessary weight gain, irregular egg production, increased pecking and feather plucking high mortality rates in chicks and broilers.

“There is something called animal sentiels which refers to the fact that animals also feel pain and the same applies to chickens. They deserve a life of adequate welfare and freedom of movement.”

Ojwang added that the nutritional value, taste and grade of birds kept in these stressful conditions declines to alarming levels, further affecting market value and plunging the turnover that poultry farmers stand to make on investments.

“The form and handling of chickens during transportation from farm the plate is also a determining factor. The media is therefore tasked with being a voice and moral guide to how society treats and raises poultry,” said Ojwang.

The World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) has listed codes of conduct as well as best practices for chicken farming which have largely being ignored on the continent. Most countries have not legislated these regulations. This is according to MAFWLR public relations officer, Simon Nghipandulwa.

ANAW is an international public beneficiation NGO founded in Kenya and partnered with 29 other African countries. The Cage Free Farming media training is the fourth taking place in SADC and a first for Namibian journalists.

Kenya, Zimbabwe and Gambia were the first to participate in the half-day initiative.

MAFWLR also highlighted that free range or cage free poultry farming is less costly and fetches better market value than caged farming.

ANAW asked members of the fourth estate to sensitise poultry farmers on all aspects including methods of slaughter that may cause distress.

Kenyan veterinarian, Dennis Rahati, said health and vaccination of chickens are more effective with free range poultry farming because a single diseased chicken can wipe out an entire flock making a rich farmer poor overnight.

“Chickens are very sensitive hence why farmers need to take vaccination and freedom of movement very seriously. Gaps in the poultry value chain become further strained when chickens are in distress,” Barati said.