"Free-Range:" Hardly "Free," and Certainly NOT "Humane"

Out of increasing awareness and public concern about animal suffering, some consumers are turning toward "free-range" turkey this holiday season. Unfortunately, although their sentiments may be in the right place, "free-range" does not equal humane! Here are a few facts to chew on:

• Most people don't envision physical mutilations as part of their "natural," "free-range" or "organic" turkey. But mutilations, from debeaking to toe removal, are still performed at "free-range" farms. These mutilations are a source of continual pain for the birds and can make eating and walking difficult.
  
  
• As on factory farms, birds on "free-range" and "organic" turkey farms are genetically selected to grow at an unnaturally fast rate. The strain of growing so quickly causes many health problems, from crippling joint disorders to heart failure. Premature death on the "free-range" farm is still common.
  
  
• The USDA does not limit "free-range" animal density or flock size, and "free-range" turkeys are often packed crowded tightly together.
  
  
• Even though "free-range" operations are supposed to grant turkeys outdoor access after about a month, depending upon the weather, there are no specific requirements. The provision for outdoor 'access' is practically meaningless.
  
  
• In the winter, "free-range" birds are not required to have access to the outdoors. Due to the fact that poultry is slaughtered at an extremely young age - about 16 weeks for turkeys - birds raised during the winter months are not even required to have outdoor access.
  
  
• The size of the outdoor area is not regulated, so it can be surprisingly small and is often nothing more than a tiny barren dirt lot.
  
  
• The "free-range" claim has no clear definition and is therefore nearly impossible to regulate. In order to obtain approval for labels bearing the claim "free-range," poultry producers must only provide the USDA with a brief description of the birds' housing conditions. These claims are almost never verified by on-site inspections.

Thanksgiving shoppers buying an "organic" or "free-range" turkey have no way of knowing just how natural a life that turkey actually led. Compassionate consumers must remember that even on so-called "free-range" farms, animals are subjected to inhumane treatment, and ultimately their lives are ended prematurely.