Things that piss you off that shouldn't

[villakram]

Daylight Savings Time

[Davkaus]

Apologies for the Daily Heil link, but at least someone's covering it.

'Free range' is just a way for people to pay a quid extra to pretend they're supporting 'ethical' producers, it's a **** sham. If the RSPCA are happy that this hasn't breached any guidelines on animal welfare, the guidelines probably need to change...

Quote

And they call this free range: What's more disturbing? These images of 16,000 'free range' hens crammed into a shed...or the fact their conditions have been approved by the RSPCA?

• Chickens pictured packed tightly inside shed on farm in north Norfolk
• There are 16,000 birds kept in narrow building 'covered in mites and sores'
• Part of 35,000-strong farm run by UKIP MEP Stuart Agnew
• But RSPCA inspectors found no breaches of any free-range regulations
• Eggs from the chickens are supplied to supermarket brand Nobel Foods

• 

• Packed tightly in the darkness, the squawking hens slither and slide amid their own faeces, some of them packed so tight they clamber on top of each another. 

  This shocking picture was taken covertly inside a long, narrow shed housing 16,000 hens. 

  ‘In an instant, I was reaching for my handkerchief, so eye-stinging was the stench,’ says the photographer, an animal rights investigator. 

  ‘The smell of ammonia was ghastly, but what I saw was even worse. 

  ‘Many were bald. The ones I examined were covered in mites, some with sores. Several had wounds the others pecked. It was a revolting sight.’ 

  Yet the scene he committed to video was not, as you might assume, on a factory farm. 

  Astonishingly, the hens he filmed are legally classified as ‘free range’. It is hardly the rural idyll that many consumers of free-range eggs might imagine. 

  Instead, the footage – filmed at night by a volunteer from Norfolk’s Hillside Animal Sanctuary in January this year – is a disturbing insight into what the poultry industry allows. 

  The hens are part of a 35,000-strong flock farmed by UKIP MEP and agriculture spokesman, Stuart Agnew in North Norfolk. 

  Nothing about the conditions under which the hens are kept is against current free-range regulations. 

  
  Indeed, an RSPCA investigation found everything to be in order. And perhaps that is the most shocking thing of all. 

  The hens are quite legally branded free-range because they have access to an outside run through ‘pop’ holes punched in the walls of their shed – provided they can push their way through the thronging mass of flapping wings and pecking beaks. 

  So they are deemed to have ‘outdoor space’, irrespective of how little time they actually spend in it. 

  Eggs from the crowded hens are supplied to Nobel Foods, which owns two brands of free-range eggs – Eggs For Soldiers and the Happy Eggs Company, both sold in leading supermarkets. 

  The price of Eggs For Soldiers includes a donation to military charity Help for Heroes. 

  A spokeswoman for Nobel Foods categorically denied that Mr Agnew’s eggs are used in its Happy Eggs Company brand, but no one from the company could say which brand his eggs were sold under. 

  It is understood that Mr Agnew is not the only supplier to Nobel Foods. Each year, British families eat 11.5 billion eggs, of which 10 billion are produced in the UK. 

  The free range market is huge, accounting for half of all eggs in supermarkets. Britain has the largest free-range flock – 15 million birds – in Europe. 

  But as demand has grown, so has the size of free-range farms. Under the industry’s quality assurance regulations, free-range farmers can house 16,000 hens in one building. 

  Individual flocks, separated by wire fencing, can be up to 4,000 strong. Under EU rules, nine hens can be crammed into every square metre of floor space. 

  Outside, there must be at least 10,000 sqm of space for every 2,500 hens. But there are no rules to say how often the birds must visit the outside world. 

  That is up to the farmer. Mr Agnew’s flock are labelled ‘RSPCA Assured/Freedom Food’ which means they are subject to stringent welfare standards and regular checks. 

  When the RSPCA was alerted to the footage, it launched an immediate investigation and concluded it was satisfied with the conditions. 

  
  Both the RSPCA and Nobel Foods pointed out that the poor condition of some birds captured in the footage was due to an outbreak of a disease called enteritis, which is common in poultry. 

  The RSPCA’s head of farm animals, Dr Marc Cooper, said: ‘We checked to see that they had been seen by a vet and were satisfied they were. 

  'We deemed the birds looked bright. Yes, some had mites but it was being treated. 

  ‘We did feel the ammonia level was high in one area but that was addressed through ventilation. 

  'The filming was done at night when the ‘pop holes’ through which the birds gain access to the outside were closed. 

  'We investigated thoroughly and were satisfied that the producer had done everything he could and should. If he hadn’t, we would have taken it further.’ 

  Nobel Foods, one of the UK’s leading supermarket suppliers, say it, too, was initially concerned. 

  ‘We always take the welfare of free-range hens very seriously and we are saddened to see the condition of these hens,’ says its press spokeswoman, Amaya Alvarez. 

  ‘An independent RSPCA and Freedom Food inspection of the flock took place immediately after we were alerted and the farmer has not breached any guidelines on animal welfare. 

  ‘In August 2015, he immediately alerted his local vet when he noticed some of his birds were unwell. 

  'The treatment and condition of these birds pose no risk whatsoever to the end consumer of eggs. Eggs from the site will continue to be graded and packed in the normal manner.’ 

  Not everyone, however, is convinced. Respected vet Amir Kashiv believes the conditions in this and some other hen houses are inhumane. 

  ‘While the birds here have considerably more room to move than battery hens, the grim and squalid conditions are a far cry from the image and impression conjured up by the terms “free range” and “Freedom Food”,’ he insists. 

  ‘I have watched footage filmed at night at Mr Agnew’s farm between December 2015 and January this year,’ he said. 

  ‘The hens are housed in considerable density and seem to be mostly on barren wooden slats flooring; this surface is unnatural and damaging to the hens’ feet and they could also get a leg stuck between the slats. 

  ‘One hen is seen with half her body stuck between the edge of this flooring and a wall. 

  'A few hens are also seen in the space underneath the slats – presumably they fell down there through some gap – where they would be covered by the droppings of the “upstairs” hens. 

  ‘A few hens are seen in obvious distress, unable to move and in breathing difficulties; the latter would be exacerbated by the very high ammonia concentration measured during the filming.’ 

  Some free-range farmers do, of course, keep their poultry in a more traditional, less densely packed environment. 

  Professor Christine Nicol, a leading animal welfare expert at Bristol University, has produced a report revealing that free-range is no guarantee of animal welfare – and that birds may suffer less if they are kept in cages. 

  ‘The problem is that the management of free-range systems in the UK at the moment is so variable, that although you get some brilliant farms, you also get some that are really not good.’ 

  Mr Agnew said: ‘My farm has always adhered to the strict standards required by the RSPCA. 

  'The birds in the video were under veterinary treatment to combat a feather loss problem. Birds do get ill. I am confident that my hens are looked after properly.’ 

 

[troon_villan]

Sake.

[Ingram85]

Fowl business.

[Meath_Villan]

Spent the last 2 months training for a half marathon that was on today, local run etc ....couldn't do it twisted my knee last friday at work using a ladders to reach for something, ladders became unstable kinda landed poorly twisted the knee could hear a pop,The Fb pics popping up of running club mates and friends who did it are pissing me off !!! missed a great day 

[Rugeley Villa]

dont get running, although back in my teens i loved it.

[Meath_Villan]

1 minute ago, Rugeley Villa said:

dont get running, although back in my teens i loved it.

I never got it either ...still dont ....just feel cheated that all the training went to waste and all I got off the boss was ....."oh im sorry man" ......I will be **** the physio bill at the word removed next week

[Rugeley Villa]

would he pay it?

[Meath_Villan]

Oh he will pay ......and probably get a pair of running shoes out of it

[villakram]

5 minutes ago, Meath_Villan said:

I never got it either ...still dont ....just feel cheated that all the training went to waste and all I got off the boss was ....."oh im sorry man" ......I will be **** the physio bill at the word removed next week

your fitness gains won't all disappear overnight so don't overly despair. Try and see if your physio will allow you to get on a step machine or an stationary bike to at least get some cardio in, and when your knee is right you'll be back where you were in no time.

The post finish brew will taste, oh so good!

[Meath_Villan]

Just now, villakram said:

your fitness gains won't all disappear overnight so don't overly despair. Try and see if your physio will allow you to get on a step machine or an stationary bike to at least get some cardio in, and when your knee is right you'll be back where you were in no time.

The post finish brew will taste, oh so good!

I have a duathalon (run-bike-run) next month ....hopefully be back for that and **** smash the shit out of it 

[mjmooney]

Commiserations, Meath. But it happens. There will be other races. I've just got a back pull that put paid to my Sunday run (was planning 10 miles), but a day's rest should settle it before club night on Tuesday. 

[mjmooney]

25 minutes ago, Rugeley Villa said:

dont get running, although back in my teens i loved it.

I'm not going to say it's Better Than Sex. But it's definitely better than drugs. 

[V01]

You've tried the wrong drugs

[Meath_Villan]

7 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

Commiserations, Meath. But it happens. There will be other races. I've just got a back pull that put paid to my Sunday run (was planning 10 miles), but a day's rest should settle it before club night on Tuesday. 

yeah im just angry that something that shouldnt have happened did and all the work I put in went to waste 

[Rugeley Villa]

4 minutes ago, mjmooney said:

I'm not going to say it's Better Than Sex. But it's definitely better than drugs. 

how do you know  i rate drugs better than sex, but you cant beat drug sex. nah seriously i wish i was into running over drugs but thats life i suppose. wasn't always like this, i was a brilliant runner, had the speed to be unbeaten in the 100m&200m and also had the stamina to do cross country and break the beep test record at my high school. also ran for the county many many years ago. then i got into drink and that and you know the rest.

[foreveryoung]

5 hours ago, troon_villan said:

Sake.

Quoted troon cause didn't wanna quote the chicken rant.

Bit I just wanted to say, I care not for chickens. They are like pigeons, have use for nothing but food. An chicken taste goooood!

[Rugeley Villa]

2 minutes ago, foreveryoung said:

Quoted troon cause didn't wanna quote the chicken rant.

Bit I just wanted to say, I care not for chickens. They are like pigeons, have use for nothing but food. An chicken taste goooood!

your from sutton coldfield and your eating pigeons.

[HanoiVillan]

I might have mentioned this before . . . I don't remember many of my dreams when I wake up, but there is one dream I remember vividly. I was suddenly in this room, full of chickens. And it was big, and I was right in the middle of it. The ceiling was white, and what I could see of the floor was white, but I couldn't see any walls. The room stretched as far as the eye could see, and it was full of chickens, millions of them. The noise was immense! And then suddenly, this dude appears next to me. I don't want to say he was Jesus, but he had a beard and was wearing a robe so it's hardly impossible. And he said, 'look around you . . . these are all of the chickens that you've eaten in your life' . . . 

I **** love eating chicken. 

Edited March 13, 2016 by HanoiVillan

[mjmooney]

I reckon I've eaten chicken once a week for most of my adult life. Say a quarter of a chicken each time. So a chicken a month, twelve chickens a year for forty years or so. 480 chickens. Call it a round 500.