Activists and locals will confront egg farmer

25/11/2015

Tomorrow morning egg farmer Stefan Craddock will be confronted by animal rights activists and locals from the community of Patumahoe over his plan to build one of the largest caged chicken farms in New Zealand.

Craddock Farms want to build a colony cage egg farm in Patumahoe but have come up against strong opposition from locals and activists who don’t want the farm built.

Auckland City Council declined Craddock Farms’ application to build earlier this year based on concerns about odour affecting the township.

Craddock Farms’ appealed the decision and tomorrow morning a 7 day hearing will commence in the Environment Court. Craddocks’ have adjusted their plans by adding around 120 10-metre chimney stacks to its buildings in hopes of mitigating odour issues.

Activists and locals will convene at the court in a colourful protest to show their combined opposition and are hoping to confront Stefan Craddock.

Stop Craddock Farms spokesperson Deirdre Sims says, “The proposed factory farm will be one of the biggest of its kind in our country, confining 310,000 hens to cruel colony cages,

“We want to see a ban on cages for chickens so we've joined up with the locals and have been working with them for over a year to stop the farm being built,"

“Overseas trends show countries like Austria, Germany and Switzerland are already phasing out colony cages while they are just being introduced here in New Zealand,

“We’re falling far behind more progressive nations but if we stop this farm being built, that’ll go a long way towards getting rid of chicken cages here,”

“I’m hoping to confront Stefan Craddock tomorrow morning and ask him how he sleeps at night knowing 310,000 hens will suffer horribly in his cruel cages if the plan goes ahead,” says Ms. Sims.

ENDS.

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