CAIRO: Hidden cameras inside Israel's factory farm industry have left owners shocked at the revealing content. Animal rights activists in Israel used hidden cameras to take graphic footage of atrocities inside the Jewish state's factory farm industry. The footage was released this week, much to the frustration of the farm owners. The released video shows three chickens locked in cages no larger than 40 cm long by 33 cm wide. It gives them little room to maneuver. That is less than the size of an A4 piece of paper and smaller than even their own body size. It is a shocking example of the horrors of factory farming, said Israeli animal rights activists Levi David. He told Bikya Masr that the videos “are proof that even in other locations outside the United States and Europe, factory farming has a horrifying toll on the animals and the people who take care of them.” In the video, the chickens are surrounded by wire mesh that prevents them from stretching their wings or standing up. There are no windows and the chickens are not allowed to stand on solid ground. Chen Morad, who runs the “Israel Leaves the Cage” campaign for Anonymous, said in a press release that “this is a first of its kind in Israel, perhaps worldwide. “It aims to make the walls of industrial farms transparent, allowing the public a direct view of the suffering 7 million hens have to go through each and every day of their lives.” For David, it is more vindication for Israeli activists, who have long condemned factory farming, but “it too often fell on deaf ears. Hopefully now people will take notice of what is going on.” “Israel is planning to re-build the whole infrastructure of the egg industry, partially with public funds. We see it as an historic opportunity to change the cruel battery-cages with non-cage coops. However, the current plan of the government is to build bare cages that will allow 550 sq/cm per hen. Such cages have been banned in the EU and also in California and recently in Michigan,” added Morad. Last year Anonymous petitioned to the Supreme Court of Israel against the plan, and soon the Education Committee of the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, will decide whether or not battery-cages should be banned according to the Israeli Animal Welfare Act. BM
