Letters – for Jul. 8, 2010

Urban chickens a healthier option I was very interested by the article “Winnipeg group seeks backyard chicken option” (Manitoba Co-operator June 18, 2010). I am actually surprised that there are not more urban and rural people interested in raising their own chickens. There are tremendous benefits, such as much healthier eggs, free from antibiotics and

Winnipeg Group Seeks Backyard Chicken Option

Darby Jones moved a small step closer last week toward enabling Winnipeggers to do what many rural Manitobans do: raise chickens in their backyards. A Winnipeg civic committee voted to refer Jones’s backyard chicken petition to a city council committee for further study. The Riel Community Committee passed the issue on to the city’s standing


“Chicken Feed” Sums Up U. S. Poultry Returns

In a morning session of the May 21 U. S. Department of Justice-Department of Agriculture workshop on ag and antitrust enforcement, Alabama poultry grower Garry Staples told officials he expected “retaliation” from the firm he grows chickens for because of his participation in that event’s discussion of poultry contracts. Not so, opined Assistant Attorney General

HSUS Targets Laying Hen Abuses

“I don’t think anyone can see this footage and feel good about this production system.” – WAYNE PACELLE An undercover investigation by the Humane Society of the United States of major U. S. egg producers showed “rampant abuse” of hens, which the animal rights group said April 7 could prompt more consumers to embrace “cage-free”


Manitoba Egg Producers Adopt Alternate Housing Standards

“We don’t want governments and retailers telling us what to do.” – KURT SIEMENS, MEF Manitoba egg producers have taken a major step toward alternate housing for hens by introducing new animal welfare standards for layer barns. The new policy will eventually mean the phasing out of battery cages, currently the industry standard for housing

The Wedge Effect

If recent reports are any indication, a growing number of consumers want to feel good about the food they eat – even if it means paying more for it. For example, a recent Context Marketing survey of consumers in the San Francisco Bay area found that 70 per cent of the respondents said they would


Ont. Processor To Buy Lilydale In Meats Merger

Toronto-area meat processor Sofina Foods has signed a $75-million cash-and-bonds deal to take over Edmonton poultry packer Lilydale Inc. Privately held Sofina, which processes and sells pork, beef and poultry products for the domestic, U. S. and Japanese markets, has offered Lilydale’s shareholders $10 cash and about $5.43 in debentures per share. The buyer will

Manitoba Egg Industry Enriched With Different Cages

“We’re talking about a progression.” – penny kelly, mef The wave of the future has begun lapping at the feet of Manitoba egg farmers with the arrival of a new cage for layer hens. Three new entrants to the Manitoba egg industry will employ a so-called “enriched cage” housing system with more space and amenities


Hutterite Colony Commits Egg Offence

AManitoba Hutterite colony has been fined for selling improperly graded eggs to a Winnipeg grocery store. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency recently reported that the Evergreen Colony Ltd., operating as Evergreen Poultry Farms, sold Canada C grade eggs numerous times between Jan. 10, 2005 and Jan. 29, 2006. C grade eggs are cracked eggs and

McDonald’s Weighs Hen Housing Options

McDonald’s USA is participating in a commercial-scale study of housing alternatives for egg-laying hens. The study, which expects to involve tens of thousands of hens, will look at the sustain-ability impacts of different laying hen housing environments on animal health and well-being, safe and affordable food, the environment, and worker welfare, according to a release.