I drew this cartoon in response to an article about delays to poultry welfare changes in the wake of the latest bird flu outbreak. The new rules were supposed to come into force this year as part of a national agreement to phase out caged eggs by 2036. Yes free range chickens are at greater risk of bird flu than barn raised or caged hens as they have increased contact with wild birds, but I believe there is no difference in the risk factors for catching bird flu between barn raised and caged hens, as both are housed indoors. But what is different is that caged hens live miserable lives as they are unable to walk around or do simple chicken like activities such as having dust baths. Keeping laying hens in cages is an appalling practice that should have been banned years ago, this latest delay is just a cheap trick to postpone the time when caged hens are banned.
CARTOON REFERENCE NUMBER: 2026-36