More than 1bn chicken killed for food every year: PETA

Mumbai, July 12 (UNI) Every year in India more than a billion chickens are killed for food. By the year 2020 the demand for chicken meat is expected to be more than double of that number, said Anuradha Sawhney, Chief Functionary, People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), India.

Talking to UNI, Sawhney emphasises,'' We are trying to point towards cruelty of chicken at KFC (Kentucky Fried Chicken).

''Broiler'' chickens are raised and killed for their flesh. They are given growth promoters to grow so fast that often their legs cannot support their weight. They are forced to live by thousands in filthy sheds full of their own excreta in cramped state.'' Female chickens are useful to the egg industry while male chickens are thrown into plastic bags to suffocate or they are blown in decompression chambers. Eggs are as vegetarian as ''chicken tikka'' or ''mutton burger''. They are a part of the chicken's reproductive system.

''To produce eggs, birds are forced to spend their entire lives in battery cages, housed in dark crowded sheds where they are treated as egg laying machines. Baby birds have their beaks cut off with a red hot blade. Young hens are kept in complete darkness except feeding on time'', she informed.

''When they reach the egg laying stage they are subjected to harsh and continuous light sometimes upto 22 hours a day. After their tired and worn out bodies stop laying eggs they are sold for slaughter.'' The health hazards are the crowded conditions on the farms.

Bacteria like Campylobacter spread very fast. As egg shells are porous, bacteria easily passes through them. Campylobacter causes more food poisoning in UK than any bacteria. Some chicken have a cancer called leukosis, and Indian chicken suffer from cholera.

Eating eggs can cause allergies like hives and cause joint problems like rheumatism in old age.

Further, Sawhney said, ''There are many illegal slaughter houses in India, that are not even inspected and are shockingly filthy which leads to chicken flesh that is contaminated with faeces and bacteria. Even when there are cases of consumers dying or falling ill after eating spoilt chicken meat sellers do a lot of business mainly because of the lack of awareness of people''.

UNI