Somerecognitionoftheweightofevidenceagainstintensive
farmingmethodswasgivenbytheEuropeanParliamentwhen
in 1987 itconsideredareportonanimalwelfareandadopted
a policy that contained the following points:
- Puttinganend tokeepingvealcalvesin individualcrates,
and to depriving them of iron and roughage. - Phasing out the battery cage within ten years.
- Discontinuing keeping sows in individual stalls or on tethers.
- Stopping routine mutilations such astail docking and the
castration of male pigs.^125
Theseproposalswerepassedbyavoteof 150 to 0,with 2
abstentions. But as we have already noted, although the
EuropeanParliamentismadeupofelectedrepresentativesof
allthenationsoftheEuropeanCommunity,itisanadvisory
bodyonly.Thepowerfulagribusinesslobbyisworkinghard
to stop the policy being put into practice. The resolution
stands,nevertheless,asan indicationofinformedEuropean
opinionontheseissues.Whenitcomestoactions,notwords,
a real improvement in the conditions of animals since
publicationofthefirsteditionofthisbookhasoccurredin
onlya fewinstances.InSwitzerland batterycagesforhens
arebeingphased outand eggsfrom alternativesystems of
housing hensare already widelyavailable in shops. These
newsystemsallowthebirdsfreedomtowalkaround,scratch,
dustbathe,flutteruptoaperch,andlayeggsinprotectednest-
boxeswithsuitablenestingmaterials.Yettheeggsfromhens
keptin thiswayareonly fractionally moreexpensivethan
thosefromhenskeptincages.^126 InBritain,theonlyrealsign