The+Changing+Chicken+-+The+evolution+of+factory+farming+in+the+poultry+industry

Rachel Borchardt, Student Number: 08574588, Tutor: Judith Meiklejohn My cultural artefact is an expose produced by Voiceless: the fund for animals. This report (link is shown above) details the treatment of poultry and the farming practices which are currently being undertaken throughout Australia. The report has been designed to improve awareness of the treatment of these animals in an effort to change government regulation in this area.
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**The real cost of factory farming to public health**
The obesity epidemic in Australia is costing the government and the public more than $58.2 billion (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011). One of the major factors influencing obesity levels is changes in the food readily available in Australia (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2011). While the fast food market is an easy target to blame there are other sectors that need to be called to question (Ogunseitan and Robbins 2011). One sector is that of the poultry farmers. While chicken meat used to be one of the leanest meats available to the market, modifications in the way chickens are bred has led to a change in the composition of the chicken meat now available to consumers (Hossain, Islam et al. 2013). In fact, a recent study by researchers at the London Metropolitan University found that there has been a substantial increase in the fat content of chicken meat being produced in factory farms throughout the UK (Wang, Lehane et al. 2010). This research and that of others will be discussed further in this Wiki. Alongside the increasing fat content of poultry, consumers and public health officials also need to continue to keep a watchful eye on the use of antibiotics and chemicals within factory farms. According to O'Brien and Adock the increasing prevalence of antibiotic use in factory farming is causing some dire health consequences for the human population (2001).

==// Meat chickens, sometimes referred to as broilers, have been selectively bred over the past 60 years for growth rate and to be highly efficient at converting feed into meat. This is why they reach their optimal market weight and quality much more quickly than the strains of chickens from which they were originally derived. ( //// Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc.) //==

Which came first: the chicken got fat or the factory farm made it so?
If you were to compare a chicken thigh from the 1970s to a chicken thigh today you would find a stark difference in the amount of energy you would get from the same piece of meat – 100kcal more to be exact (Wang, Lehane et al. 2010). The changes in energy come down to the process by which chickens are now reared (O'Brien, Adock et al. 2001). Where once they were free to wander the farmyard they are now cooped up in cages and fed till they weigh enough to be slaughtered. Wang et al claim the alteration in chicken meat composition relates to four major changes in the farming of chickens for meat, otherwise known as “broiler chickens” (Wang, Lehane et al. 2010). These changes include;

1. The confining of animals to enclosures in the 18th century.

2. The selection process to breed those animals that gained weight fastest 3. The development of high-energy foods and growth promoters to feed the chickens 4. The restriction and final denial of exercise by keeping the animals in an enclosed space with food permanently available.

Scientific advances are another key factor that have paved the way for more growth in less time. According to Hossain and Islam chicken feed is made up predominantly of animal proteins which have been proven to increase the size and weight of chickens in the least amount of time (2013). For poultry farmers the result is a bird that can go from chick to hen to slaughter within a period of as little as 35 days (Hossain, Islam et al. 2013).

Disease and your meat
With the move away from outdoor farming practices to those which involve the chicken being born and raised in the same shed, it is no wonder that disease needs to be monitored carefully (O'Brien, Adock et al. 2001, Cheng, Turnidge et al. 2012). However a trend is surfacing throughout Australia and the world whereby humans are becoming resistant to certain strains of antibiotics. According to O’Brien et al., this is a direct result of the overuse of antibiotics in farming (2001).

Is organic better?
According to the Australian Chicken Meat Federation free range chicken meat accounts for 10 to 15% of the chicken produced in Australia – less than 1% of this is also produced organically (Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc. 2013). The two major differences between organic and inorganic chicken meat is that the feed must come from “certified organic ingredients” and organic birds do not receive a routine vaccination (Kijlstra, Meerburg et al. 2009, Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc. 2013). However research by Griggs, Bender and Jacob suggests that animals raised under these conditions have a higher likelihood of developing campylobacter and salmonella – two major bacteria which often result in food poisoning (2006, Kijlstra, Meerburg et al. 2009).

**Where it all began…**
It started off with industrialization of farming practices in the 18th century and today we have come even further with the McDonalization of our farming industry (Kemp 1978, Ritzer 2010). Ritzer said we would see a push towards predictability, calculability, efficiency and control and that is exactly what has occurred (Ritzer 2010). The poultry farming sector is a perfect example of McDonalization in action with a high focus on output and efficiency (Ilea 2009). Farmers have continued to gear their techniques to ensure more meat is produced by fewer birds in minimal time (McLeod-Kilmurray 2012). This puts the pressure on the farming sector to deliver a low cost high quality product (Weis 2007, Ritzer 2010). The shift towards fattier meat production and the use of antibiotics could be directly linked to Ritzer's ideals of efficiency and control.

Where to from here?
With more and more people moving away from farms and populations now centered in the city it is clear that farming needs to continue in some shape or form (Ausralian Bureau of Statistics 2012). But what is the real future going to look like? According to Obrien the answer lies in dispensing with factory farms and returning to “small-scale, cruelty-free food production geared to local demand” (2001). He claims that the “monster, industrial-scale food enterprises are too socially and ecologically destructive” to be sustainable (O'Brien, Adock et al. 2001). Weis also argues that when the case for industrial farming is broken down it is easy to see that large high-input fossil fuel-powered farms are not the way of the future (2007). He calls for more equitable, small-farm landscapes where production is more locally orientated (Weis 2007). However, Weis is quick to point out that this does not mean a shift to backward and somewhat ‘primitive’ approaches (2007). Instead he calls for more scientific research and training geared toward improving farming techniques in the future. If the industry does makes these moves towards smaller scale production houses Kijlstra, Meerburg and Bos argue that food safety risks need to be monitored closely and remain of the utmost importance (2009). As Weis argues we simply need to work smarter with the scientific community and government working together to improve the outcome for communities as a whole (2007).

**STOP! Reflection time…**
The artefact I’ve presented is a timely expose on the poultry farming industry and how things have gone so badly wrong. The focus of the artefact is the gross injustice that battery hens experience on a daily basis and it calls for consumers to rally together and to call to question governments and their own approach to poultry consumption. While the artefact has a clear focus on animal rights the literature review I conducted demonstrates that it is important to remember that factory farming of poultry not only has negative impacts on the animals involved, but it also negatively impacts on the meat being produced and consumed by the Australian community. Frankly this assessment piece has taught me more than I ever wanted to know about the production and farming practices of poultry in Australia. I used to be quite content in my ignorance. Now the more I learn about meat production, the more I am sickened by the thought of eating any kind of meat. It is both cruel and unnatural the way our meat is now farmed, produced and packaged for consumers. The thought of 60, 000 chickens housed in one tiny shed is horrific and I hope that I can continue to reflect on this each and every time I go to enjoy my next chicken based meal. Overall, this assessment and class has taught me to be more critical of the choices I make on a daily basis. In future I will be striving to know more about the products I purchase (meat or otherwise) because being a conscious consumer is one small way I can make a difference in my community.

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=References=

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2011). Overweight and Obesity in Adults in Australia: A Snapshot, 2007-08. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Retrieved from http://www.ausstats.abs.gov.au/ausstats/subscriber.nsf/0/7DC7186F4A9950DECA25789C0023DCEF/$File/4842055001_200708.pdf.

Australian Bureau of Statistics. (2012). Regional population growth. Canberra: Australian Bureau of Statistics Retrieved from http://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/Products/3218.0~2012~Main+Features~Main+Features?OpenDocument#PARALINK10

Australian Chicken Meat Federation Inc. (2013). Growing Meat Chickens. Retrieved from http://www.chicken.org.au/page.php?id=6

Cheng, A. C., Turnidge, J., Collignon, P., Looke, D., Barton, M., & Gottlieb, T. (2012). Control of fluoroquinolone resistance through successful regulation, Australia. Emerging infectious diseases, 18(9), 1453-1460. Retrieved from http://qut.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwTV29CgIxDC6C4OJyoF19gR4907bxUMQnDzUsW1atwPx3h9zVdEtWUIg4ftCyA9jGxetM0hEhtm2hH45SC1VyiVh1wu6_abX9o3lVsloYV67v9eXcQn2cA4t6AcYIsUmWjnQdIxkmNwaBNKloiuEg8s1UxRbQRQoM2oG-RCgFNQgRNDoVmzZZ-GhofxrJchpzNM0U48Ql1OXnA2eLaXnp3O57eavVV62fZgKofIyeQLwkioJYvg-E57A. doi:10.3201/eid1809.111515

Griggs, J. P., Bender, J. B., & Jacob, J. P. (2006). Microbial safety of chickens raised without antibiotics. Journal of applied poultry research, 15(3), 475-482. Retrieved from http://qut.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwTV09CwIxDC2C4OIiaFf_QI9e0961s3gIgtOJOvYr46F4_x9zVdHxbYGE90hIXhjb2tjaJpGQJWwdsR8G6aXxOkntAYuz_m_Y9sfm3YrN8rBmfbfvdwfxeQYg7sYZQboeavCR9BGoo0g5ZtNmCIY6HFSuuIo3GVABNpij8uitCl5rpIJOUNcbtvTTzvgwltuyxNkcKcGZT6TLKQDOFld3Odvb8fSGqy-snuUAqnqMnDi-1IeASr4AKZU5Og.

Hossain, M. A., Islam, A. F., & Iji, P. A. (2013). Growth responses, excreta quality, nutrient digestibility, bone development and meat yield traits of broiler chickens fed vegetable or animal protein diets. South African journal of animal science, 43(2), 208-218. Retrieved from http://qut.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwY2BQMDZOTks2sbAE1rSJRiamJklmlklJRoYpZsYmRmlJ4E20iME2pNLcTYiBKTVPlEHbzTXE2UMXuR6IL4CcvQCaKzUGbcc0MwG3ZgzFGHgTQUvB80rAW8ZSxBlY04DxlioOKkvFgeaKM3BEWIaHWkR60G4QjCuXjF4X5NeYYk4sOgGR7uusZ4BAGDNL7o.

Ilea, R. C. (2009). Intensive Livestock Farming: Global Trends, Increased Environmental Concerns, and Ethical Solutions. Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Ethics, 22(2), 153-167. Retrieved from http://qut.summon.serialssolutions.com/2.0.0/link/0/eLvHCXMwVV09C8JADD0EwcWloLf6B65c2rvcdRaLIDhZ1DG9j7Eg9v9jWhV0yJAtkPDyCHmJELvIvN7kuurZiEHYUa0peqshYOUI_oZtP2jeFmKRho3o2sNlf1SfZwAqAHNqBU1ANJGQG1wCtP10RwhWkeOWS5lA9AHJsfkARNB4E6YbfI6GqQQEmzFmqal8WGcxWVRimXmDCc5oa7kCKRY3Zpr5-n89stvm75nBVQ5WOUDPJzgai61C9h0jlq.

Kemp, T. (1978). Historical patterns of industrialization. London: Longman.

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