Mike Elliott: Battery Hens

Extract from Hansard

Legislative Council
14 November 2001

Mike Elliott
Leader Australian Democrats
Member of the Legislative Council

Parliament Index
2001 Autumn Sitting Index
Browse by Subject
Search all Democrats material
About the SA Parliament
Hansard on line

The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Attorney- General, representing the Minister for Primary Industries and Resources, a question about battery hen cages.

The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: Just last month South Australians were again shocked by footage released by Animal Liberation of the treatment of hens in battery cages. There is certainly growing concern in our community about practices such as the debeaking of hens, the fact that they are often gashed by cage wire, that the hens develop brittle bones, and cannot stretch out their wings, perch, nest or lay eggs in a quiet place in a way that they would naturally.

The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: Yes, or be chased by a rooster. Much of this is caused by existing legislation that allows hens to be kept in cages that allow an area smaller than an A4 piece of paper for each hen. Many people in our community-I am sure a majority in our community-consider it a cruel and barbaric practice against every natural instinct of hens. The European Union and Switzerland have recognised this and recently adopted a phase- out program for battery cages, yet in Australia this practice of animal abuse is still widespread, despite community concern.

In response to this concern, a meeting of state and territory agriculture ministers in August last year released a series of recommendations that paved the way for changes in battery cages, but in the first instance it seemed to involve largely just a gradual increase in the size of the cages. So, instead of an A4 sheet of paper, it is somewhere between A4 and A3 in terms of area. One of the recommendations was that all new cage systems commissioned from January 2001 must provide a floor space of 550 square centimetres. That is a bit under 30 by 20.

The Hon. M.J. ELLIOTT: It is not a comment. I am saying that 550 square centimetres is about 30 centimetres by 20 centimetres per bird, including the baffle. My questions are:

1. Will the minister detail what numbers of all South Australian egg producers met the January 2001 deadline?

2. Will the minister clarify whether the state government interprets the word `commission' in the recommendation to mean `installed and operational' or `ordered and being built' by 1 January 2001?

3. Can the minister also advise how many new cage systems in South Australia will be installed and operational, how many will be ordered and being built, and how many will not meet the recommendations by January 2002?

4. Will the minister detail what strategies the state government has in place to help egg producers meet the recommendations?

5. What percentage of hens as at the end of 2002 are expected to be in this new expansive accommodation?

The Hon. K.T. GRIFFIN (Attorney-General): I will refer the questions to my colleague in another place and bring back a reply.