Life is not easy for the inhabitant of rural areas nowadays. Certainly not if he happens to be the owner of a brood of chickens that consists, for example, of three birds: a cock and two hens. Admittedly, two hens are somewhat meager for one cock, but originally there were four of them. The other two died a natural death the previous Summer. They were most likely devoured by a fox, because all that remained was a pile of feathers.
Since then, the hens in this particular example are kept in a large run: enclosed, so that they are protected from foxes, but at the same time outdoors, because there is no roof on the run. In the interests of preservation of the Dutch professional poultry industry, however, the Ministry of Agriculture requires poultry to be kept indoors at times when the wind comes from the East. Furthermore, all champions of factory farming advocate vaccination of all hobby poultry.
Whether these measures actually help in the fight against viruses, is the question. Keeping poultry indoors seems efficient enough, although in fact, it is not. The large majority of poultry kept in The Netherlands is already kept indoors in the normal way. Poultry you ask? Alright, they have feathers and they cackle, but that is where the comparison with real hens and chickens ends.
The effects of factory farming on poultry are all too evident. The birds have not only been outwardly disfigured by cauterization of their beaks and clipping their wings: breeding programmes which have been implemented to the extreme, have also caused all genetic variety and natural resistance to be removed from the species.
To prevent hens and chickens with low resistance dying prematurely from (normally speaking) innocent infections, they are put on a royal diet of antibiotics. This is totally ineffective against the H5N1-virus. Antibiotics help fight bacteria, but not viruses. The millions of hens and chickens thus rendered defenseless, act as a magnet towards this virus, which is also dangerous to humans.
In the meantime, poultry farming, which needs to be protected by keeping hobby poultry indoors, is holding open house. Any stall worth talking about hosts more 15,000 laying hens or more than 40,000 chickens kept for their meat. Besides fodder, water and antibiotics, these birds also need fresh air. To provide this, a large ventilator is mounted at one end of the stall, which at set times sucks in air, including all viruses present. Once inside the stall, that virus uses the cackling mass of feathers as a breeding ground in which it multiplies itself. Courtesy of the poultry farmer concerned, the well-fed virus subsequently allows itself to be blown out of the ventilator at the other end of the stall. It then continues its journey to its next victims at the neighbouring farm, where the following ventilator beckons.
As if this system of virus-spreading was not serious enough, as long as the virus has not been detected, transport of poultry and poultry products continues in factory farming. For the virus, this is a perfect means of spreading itself.
In circumstances as these, it is not a matter of whether, but when the virus will attack. And so, keeping hobby chickens indoors is mainly a symbolic measure. The virus merely causes a slight cold in a chicken with a healthy, thick plumage.
Due to natural selection, the weaker birds will not survive. In this way, the species only becomes stronger. However, this natural mechanism takes too long, as far as the sector is concerned.
The current ruling of keeping poultry indoors is also quite ridiculous. The birds are allowed outside, if they manage somehow or other to remain under an awning, a plastic one if need be. As if the virus only spreads itself vertically!
In the village in our example, the chickens are conscientiously, if somewhat resentfully, kept indoors. A short distance further up, a number of large stalls are visible where chickens for meat are housed. If the virus manifests itself there, the chickens in the village - even if they are healthy - will also be slaughtered preventively.
So, just as on previous occasions, hiding the chickens is considered momentarily. Just as on previous occasions, when the time comes that inspectors from the Ministry of Agriculture come by, completely healthy chickens are diligently submitted for slaughter.
Farmers are still deferred to; not only in rural areas, but also at Government level in The Hague and Brussels, hats are raised high for the still influential Green Front.
The interests of (in this instance) the poultry sector, exceed all else. However, these interests are limited. According to recent figures from the product board for Livestock, Meat and Eggs, the sector consists of 1,247 industries, who together use 30 million laying hens. Last year there were another 740 industries where, in a period of six weeks, 27,4 million chicks weighing a couple of grams where fattened up to a weight of more than two kilos. Throughout the entire year, taking into consideration a week’s break per cycle, this amounted to more than 203 million.
For less than two thousand farmers, more than 230 million birds are mistreated per year; when the virus arrives, the world turns upside down and we run the risk that the much feared flu epidemic starts here. It is high time for the only measure which would really make a difference: stop factory poultry farming: preferably before the virus arrives. |
