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Fifteen Australians squeezed themselves into three tiny metal cages yesterday in Sydney to highlight what they said was the inhuman practice of chicken battery farming.
Under a hot summer sun, Australian model Imogen Bailey crouched inside a "Human Battery Cage" as hundreds of tourists viewing the luxury ocean liner Queen Elizabeth 2 looked on curiously.
The protesters called on Australian politicians and the poultry industry to follow countries such as Switzerland and Sweden and end battery farming.
"People expect Australia to be leading the world in animal welfare. There is no excuse for the way they are treated, there are always alternatives," Bailey said.
Animal liberation groups say battery cages cause feather loss, broken bones and premature death.
"Consumers deserve to know how their food is produced. Eighty per cent of the eggs that consumers eat come from hens in tiny cages," said Shane Dalgleish, who created the Human Battery Cages.
- REUTERS
