A petition asking Whangarei businessmen "not to invest in more cruelty" has hit the 10,000 signature mark, following protests by giant chickens in the CBD.
But an egg industry spokesman says farming practices in New Zealand were among the best in the world, with caged hens necessary to keep eggs affordable for everyone. The Stop Craddock Farms group targeted the Rathbone St offices of Yovich Hayward Pevats Johnston Chartered Accountants and Yovich & Co Wealth Management four times in the past year, with some protesters donning chicken costumes.
Two businessmen at the companies, Walter Yovich and Mark Pevats, are also directors of Craddock Farms Limited - a company fighting in the Environment Court to build a farm that would cage 300,000 hens in Patumahoe, about 50 kilometres south of Auckland. Craddock Farms' third director, Richard Johns, is also from Whangarei.
The directors said they were not in a position to comment, pending the result of an Environment Court appeal hearing on November 26. Auckland Council had declined the resource consent to build the farm earlier this year, citing odour and a negative effect on the Patumahoe community.
Shawn Bishop from The Animal Sanctuary at Matakana said while traditional battery cages had been banned and must be phased out by 2022, the 60-bird colony cages that would be used at the Patumahoe farm were "just as cruel".
