Animal Liberators' Efforts Justified
Wednesday, 26 May 2010, 11:07 am
Press Release: Soil and Health Association
Media Release
26 May
2010
Animal Liberators EffortsJustified .
The New Zealand
Food Safety Authority (NZFSA) is to be congratulated for successfully
prosecuting a poultry farmer for animal welfare offences, but should be
exposing other cruel poultry farmers, according to the Soil & Health
Association of NZ.
Gerard Bogaart, trading as Golden Harvest
Poultry, was yesterday sentenced by Judge McAuslan to 12 months in prison
under the Animal Welfare Act for the wilful ill-treatment of broiler hens
and roosters in his care and for two months concurrently for failing to
provide for their physical, health and behavioural needs. (1)
“Considering Golden Harvest proudly quotes 46 years in the industry,
audits of all large scale broiler hen and egg operations should be
undertaken immediately,” said Soil & Health spokesperson Steffan Browning.
(2)
“Animal rights activists such as Animal Liberation Front, Auckland
Animal Action and SAFE, have been doing fantastic public service in raising
the attention of agencies and the public to the cruel practices followed by
cage poultry farmers.”
“It appears that NZFSA only showed interest
after the Animal Liberation Front (ALF) in 2007 publicised continued animal
welfare issues by poultry farmer Gerard Bogaart, who had also been convicted
in 1996 for cruelty to sheep in his care. Similar action by ALF in 2004 at
Bogaart’s poultry operation had not inspired NZFSA it seems.”(3)
The
NZFSA attention against Golden Harvest initially was to get compliance with
food safety risk management plans. Animal welfare considerations only
followed when enforcement against illegal egg and poultry sales was
undertaken.”
“While NZFSA staff became deeply concerned with animal
welfare considerations, they should not have waited for more than a year
ahead of enforcement, while poultry continued to be treated in a cruel and
disgusting way.”
“1100 birds had to be euthanased to relieve their
suffering when action against illegal sales was finally taken. Action
against all cruel poultry farmers needs to be taken immediately, whether
illegally trading or not.”
NZFSA’s media release 25 May included;
“In early 2007 NZFSA served a notice of direction on the company to
cease the sale of poultry and eggs as well as slaughter of poultry, which Mr
Van Den Bogaart continued to disregard.
Prior to the operation,
NZFSA had tried in vain to help Mr Van Den Bogaart make his operation
compliant by developing a Risk Management Programme (RMP), which is a legal
requirement for all poultry slaughterhouses and all egg producers with more
than 100 female birds.
In June 2008 New Zealand Food Safety
Authority (NZFSA) investigators and Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry
(MAF) investigators – assisted by police, local council officers and a
veterinarian – executed NZFSA search warrants on two rural properties in
South Auckland that Van Den Bogaart was operating from. This was done under
provisions of the Animal Products Act on the basis of the suspected illegal
slaughter and sale of poultry and eggs to a number of Auckland retailers.”
“Compliance with food safety was never going to attend to all animal
welfare concerns and NZFSA’s Risk Management Programme for poultry makes
little difference to human health in NZ. However the removal of all caged
and crate farming operations would improve animal welfare conditions for
millions of chickens, ducks and pigs,” said Mr Browning.
“Clearly
Bogaart and his Golden Harvest operation was a bad example among poultry
farmers, but all caged poultry farmers need immediate inspection.”
“Bogaart
has been removed from his cruel business, but the leaders of the cruel caged
poultry industry best not feel complacent. Thinking consumers and animal
welfare proponents such as Soil & Health will not rest until the hens are
out of the cages.”
Soil & Health supports humane free range and
organic poultry farming which fits with its vision of an Organic 2020.
