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Govt accused of dodging battery hen issue

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Wed, 17 Aug 2011 8:03p.m.

Green MP Sue Kedgley has produced documents showing MAF spent $400,000 on a new colony cage system (file pic)

Green MP Sue Kedgley has produced documents showing MAF spent $400,000 on a new colony cage system (file pic)

The Government is accused of dodging the issue of battery hens by throwing taxpayer money at an initiative to shift the chickens into a new "unspeakably cruel" farming system.

The accusation was made in Parliament today by Green MP Sue Kedgley.

She has produced documents showing MAF spent $400,000 on the new colony cage system.

Ms Kedgley is demanding answers from Agriculture Minister David Carter.

Mr Carter says work is ongoing on a code of welfare for hens - but a shift to a completely free-range system would drive up egg-production costs dramatically.

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Comments

11 Apr 2012 12:19a.m.

Julie wrote:

I only pay $3.50 ozzie dlrs per dozen, on the sunshine coast for organic free range eggs at the farmers markets,i used to pay $7-$8 a dozen at a farmers market in christchurch!! - i do find NZ very expensive for free range meat/eggs, and organic/spray free vegies. the markets are very busy and the produce very cheap, why is NZ so expensive for these type of products??

13 Sep 2011 07:37p.m.

Michele wrote:

Love ALL of your comments below, and I second all of them. You are so right Sam, we are NOT going to go away. Oh, but Han, don't hate this world my friend, good people are finally standing up to take it back and make it right!!!!!! And that is awesome.

31 Aug 2011 07:57p.m.

Han wrote:

I hate this world

22 Aug 2011 05:19p.m.

Geraint Scott wrote:

Agree with all four of you!

18 Aug 2011 02:15p.m.

sam wrote:

why am I not surprised at this ! ..... maybe its because this government and previous governments do not take animal rights/ welfare seriously enough and always bow to industry pressure. The sow stall ban being an exception, although they were backed into a corner and had no choice but to ban it . Its not just battery hen cages that need addressing , its all animal cruelty / mistreatment and the weak AW act and the fact MAF has 5 AW inspectors. Well , if there are government ministers reading this listen up , we are not going to go away , the abuse of animals in the 21st century is an issue and theres large of chunk of society who are fed up with it.

18 Aug 2011 12:35p.m.

Michael Morris wrote:

Yes I agree with Matt, the economic argument is simply ethically abhorrent. A more subtle version of it is when politicians exhort us to think of the poor, who are already struggling. However, that is easily countered by asking if their party is really committed to a society - in a land of plenty like New Zealand - where some of its members are in such poverty that they can't afford compassion.

18 Aug 2011 09:30a.m.

Abraham Kunin wrote:

Way to go Matt. I totally agree.

18 Aug 2011 08:55a.m.

Matt Graylee wrote:

"....but a shift to a completely free-range system would drive up egg-production costs dramatically." We know that. It is irrelevant. Slavery is a cheaper way of building a deck - but strangely when I tried to start "slave deck builders ltd" I found there wasn't much demand for it. People were ok with getting their deck built in a fashion that required them to pay what it cost to have it done the nicer way. We aren't up against the wall and desperate, there is no actual need for cruelty. It just makes things a bit cheaper so we have yet more disposable income to spend on stuff we don't need.