Australia boosts chicken welfare

The Australian Department of Agriculture has announced the completion of work to develop new Australian Animal Welfare guidelines for poultry. The most significant improvements for poultry welfare in the standards and guidelines include: Phase-out of conventional laying hen cages within 10-15 years (by 2036 at the latest), depending on the age of the current infrastructure. Provide environmental enrichment for broiler breeders. Chickens shall receive a total minimum of at least 6 hours of darkness within a 24-hour period, with at least 1 uninterrupted period of darkness of at least 4 hours. Provide breeding ducks with access to water for bathing or soaking. Starting this ...