Revealing the Country's Low Standards - Draft Animal Welfare Codes for Egg Laying Hens

The comments by our government were the worst

The OIE (World Organization for Animal Health) submitted the third draft for animal welfare codes for egg laying hens. It will be adopted in May 2020 after concerned countries review it and give feedback about this draft.
Japan also reviewed and submitted its comments to the OIE after holding committees called “OIE liaison committee” from the end of December 2019 through January 2020.
You can view each member’s comment here.
The government’s feedback was as though it would overwrite these members’ opinions.*
Here is the summary of the comments by our government:

- They commented they would support any cages, meaning battery cages can be supportable. This was not discussed at the OIE liaison committees.
- They requested to remove some language including “mobility” and “enabling birds’ normal behaviors” in regard to the functions of the floor for hens. This was not discussed at the OIE liaison committees.
- They requested to remove the recommendations to place “perches,” “pecking areas,” “birdhouses,” and “sand baths.” This was not discussed at the OIE liaison committees.

Moreover, they referenced an article that suggests it’s better when birds don’t dust bathe or move in terms of labor for humans because birds are immobile, so the air doesn’t get dirty. It implies that free range would not be suitable…

However, this article indeed further mentions it should not matter [for free range] if humans wear highly functional masks. Also, it has nothing to do with animal welfare.

We are not unclear how the OIE will regard this, but it’s highly possible Japan’s chicken industry will be graded poorly as we don’t seem to have the ability to place perches.

After reading these comments over and over, we can’t help but believe the government does not understand the meaning of animal welfare, and instead, they’d just like to promote battery cages.

Is our government trying to give a bad name to Japanese industry?

The impressions given by these extremely negative comments are that “poultry farming in Japan is way behind” and “the Japanese farmers are not able to catch up with the level the world demands.”

The prior comment Japan submitted for the second draft receives a reputation that the level was lowered because Japan opposed the draft.

It will likely repeat the same thing this time.

The Animal Rights Center’s mission to spread the word that Japan’s welfare is behind the world to raise awareness.
Ironically speaking, the Japanese government is doing this for us.
They’re revealing that Japanese egg laying hens are not as well-treated as the worlds’.
The EU and the US may only purchase few Japanese goods such as cars, but that is not the case for Asia.
We export eggs to Asia, and Japanese companies are also expanding to branch out in Asia.
If these Asian countries learn that Japan has poor treatment towards animals, large supermarket chains such as AEON may be impacted by the bad reputation.
Japan brands and “Made in Japan” will then gradually be hurt.

Is this going to be ok with the chicken industry and companies who wish to expand globally?

Above all things, why on earth did the Japanese government release such comments?

Translated by Seika K