By Ademu Usman Idakwo
The cage-free farming system, which benefits birds by allowing them more space to move around, engage in natural behaviors, and access better living conditions, has been advocated as the best form of poultry practice compared to conventional caged systems in Africa .
This approach, according to various scholars on animal welfare, can improve birds by reducing stress and injury to them.
Although the extent of these benefits can vary based on local practices and infrastructural facilities available at a particular time for the farmers.
This was one of the topics treated at this year’s Effective Altruism, EA Summit held in Abuja, Nigeria.
The Founder, Dogalov Human Support Initiative,Dr. Sunday Agbonika delivered the public lecture at the summit, which was a gathering of ‘who is who?’ in animal welfare advocacy in Africa.
The summit had in attendance the co-founder of Animal Advocacy Africa, AAA, Cameron King, and Head, Partnership Development, Animal Advocacy Africa, Jenna Hiscock.
Agbonika, who engaged over 90 summit attendants on the importance of cage-free practice for birds in Africa, quoted relevant authorities like Dr. Meghann and Peter Singer to support his claims .
The veterinary surgeons said good animal welfare represents good quality of life from the animal’s perspective and the animal’s total life experiences.
The animal rights advocate further quotes Peter Singer to buttress his claim that animals deserve empathy, where the scholar argues that ‘’ If animals do not have direct moral status worth considering, then neither do some humans that are considered marginal cases (infants, geriatrics, and senile).
Agbonika further stressed that nonhumans, like humans, have subjective experiences with positive or negative value to feel bad and as well feel good.
He equally added that there was no logical reason that animal interests should count less than humans’ interests solely because they are different species.
“The question is, not only can they reason? nor can they talk?,, but can they suffer?”?
“Morally right actions and institutions are those that maximize aggregate happiness for all beings.” he stated .
He however charged humans to note that they have direct moral duty to consider , how our conduct affects the welfare of animals and their suffering, equally to that experienced by humans..
He outlined the benefits of cage free Practice to birds to include birds producing more eggs, enhancing normal behaviors among them , producing eggs with healthier nutritional value,and less stress which boost their health .
