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What is the difference between the life of an organic chicken compared to one that has been intensively reared?
This is a question that has been highlighted a great deal in the media with programmes by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall and Jamie Oliver to name but a few. A staggering 94 per cent of chickens in the UK are intensively reared in huge windowless its, an average shed holds a staggering 30,000-40,000 birds. As a result of so many animals being tightly packed together in unnatural conditions antibiotics and vaccines are routinely used to control disease fuelled by these conditions. Because the body muscle is designed to grow disproportionately quickly the legs of some chickens cannot support their bodies. As a result millions of chickens cannot walk or stand up, many die of heart disease before they even reach slaughter.
In total contrast on Soil Association organic farms chickens are allowed to roam freely, scratching, dust bathing and grazing in grassy fields. This allows them to express their natural behaviour, organic hens must always have access to the outside. This is similar to free range except that with organic the stocking densities are much smaller - that is the number of birds per square metre is much smaller and therefore results in birds that are less stressed. The maximum number of birds that can be housed together under soil association standards is 500-2000 depending on the system so they have a lot more room feather pecking is a big problem on farms that have birds packed together in small spaces. Birds can be seriously injured and even killed as a result. To prevent this, the majority of 'free-range' hens are beak-tipped, a mutilation that apart from being painful also prevents the hens from expressing their natural foraging behaviour. This practice is heavily restricted by the Soil Association.
How well are the animals looked after?
On organic farms all aspects of animal welfare are tightly controlled. This includes the rearing of animals, their shelter, feeding and transportation. As with the chickens all the animals on organic farms have more space, there are lower stocking densities with proper access to outdoors. Animal medicines are used if needed if an animal becomes ill but cannot be used routinely in food.
How is the wildlife on organic farms different?
In a report from The Soil Association called The Biodiversity Benefits of Organic Farming it concluded that because pesticide use is restricted the number and varieties of bird and butterfly species and wild plant species was greater on established organic farms. This is also helped by the fact that trees, hedges and wider unfarmed field edges are encouraged which makes an ideal habitat for natural predators such as beetles and spiders and birds to help control pests.
