Many of the food companies in the hospitality, restaurant, food manufacturing and food service sector abroad have introduced animal welfare policies due to growing consumer demand to have animal welfare standards. These policies not only prevent unnecessary suffering of animals but are also in line with the companies’ sustainability, environment and other Corporate Social Responsibilities policies.
As referenced in the Business Benchmark on Farm Animal Welfare (BBFAW) report, 73% of companies in the world now have published farm animal welfare policies (compared to just 46% in 2012), and 65% of companies have published targets on farm animal welfare (up from 26% in 2012).
Indian food companies are negligent towards the most basic standards which need to be followed to avoid cruelty towards animals in the supply chain. Some of these food companies have such policies in several developed and developing countries but are not working to introduce the same policy in India despite clear public sentiment. Take the case of eggs for instance. Food companies across the world have introduced a cage-free eggs policy. Which means the hens will not be caged. Hens used for egg production are subjected to horrific cruelties which leads them to suffer throughout their lives.
- Four to eight hens crammed in a cage no bigger than two A4 sheets of papers. Hens stepping on each other in an attempt to find space to move
- Hens with sore cracked and deformed feet from the wire floor of the cages
- Overcrowded cages are usually stacked one on top of another, causing urine and faeces to fall onto birds in lower cages
- Hens missing their feathers and suffering from abrasions and skin irritations, probably due to the high concentration of ammonia from their litter
- Litter collected in huge piles underneath the stacked cages, only disposed of once every few weeks. This lack of timely disposal can lead to diseases and mortality among the birds
- The illegal practice of ‘force molting’ is frequently practised by starving the hens for days in order to increase the egg production.
ANIMAL WELFARE LAW:
These cruel battery cages are used rampantly despite section 11 (1) (e) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960 prohibiting confining of birds in battery cages and the Animal Welfare Board of India’s advisory to all the states, which directed to phase out battery cages by 2017.
These cages also violate the ‘Five Freedoms’ that includes:
- Freedom from hunger and thirst.
- Freedom from discomfort.
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease.
- Freedom to express normal behaviour.
- Freedom from fear and distress.
While cage-free does not mean cruelty-free, companies introducing such policies are taking an important step toward improving conditions for animals who suffer tremendously on factory farms.
Companies across the world are acting on consumer demands, but India is lagging behind. It is time Indian companies sit up and take notice of the consumer demands and introduce policies for better treatment of animals in their supply chain.