Free range shows farming methods where animals, at least for most of the day, can roam freely outside the home, rather than being locked in cages for 24 hours each day. On many farms, outdoor areas are fenced off, thus technically making it an enclosure, however, free range systems usually offer opportunities for extensive movement and sunlight prevented by indoor housing systems. Free Range may apply to meat, eggs or dairy farms.
This term is used in two senses that are not completely overlapping: as farmer-centric description of livestock methods, and as a consumer-centric description of them. There is a diet where practitioners only eat meat from free sources called ethical omnivorism.
At the farm, livestock with free distances allowed to roam without being fenced off, as opposed to grassed meadows. In many agriculture-based economies, short-range cattle are quite common.
Video Free range
Histori
If one allows "free range" to include "herd", the typical range of livestock-free methods at least up to the development of barbed wire and chicken wire. The generally poor understanding of nutrition and disease before the twentieth century makes it difficult to raise many livestock species without giving them access to varied food, and the work of keeping cattle in confinement and bringing all their food to them is expensive except for the benefit of livestock such as dairy cows.
In the case of poultry, the free range was the dominant system until the discovery of vitamins A and D in 1920, allowing confinement to be practiced successfully on a commercial scale. Before that, green feed and sunlight (for vitamin D) needed to provide the necessary vitamin content. Several large commercial breeding herds grew up in grasslands in the 1950s. Nutrition science leads to increased use of cages for other livestock species in the same way.
Maps Free range
United States
In the United States, USDA free range regulations currently only apply to poultry and indicate that the animal has been allowed outside access. USDA regulations do not specify the quality or size of the outer range or duration of time the animal must have access to the outside.
The term "free range" is primarily used as a marketing term rather than a livestock term, meaning something of the order, "low density," "grass raised," "grass eating," "ancient", "humanly raised," etc.
There are proposals to regulate the labeling of USDA products as a free range in the United States. By 2017, what constitutes an animal's "free range" is almost completely decided by the producer of the product, and is often inconsistent with the consumer's notion of what that term means.
Poultry free-spacing
In poultry maintenance, the "free range" is very confusing with yarding, which means keeping the poultry in the gated yard. Yarding, as well as a barrelless portable chicken cage ("chicken tractor") may have some of the benefits of free-range livestock but, in fact, this method has little in common with the free-range method.
The definition of free range behavior is probably the most useful: "chickens are kept with fences that limit their movement very little." It has practical implications. For example, according to Jull, "The most effective measure for preventing cannibalism seems to be to provide good grass birds." De-waking was created to prevent cannibalism for birds that are not within the free range, and the need for destruction can be seen as a litmus test whether the chicken environment is quite "free-range".
The US Department of Food Safety and Inspection Service (FSIS) requires that chickens be bred because their flesh has access to outside to receive free range certification. There is no requirement for access to pasture, and there may be only access to land or gravel. The chicken eggs, however, have no legal definition in the United States. Similarly, free-range egg producers do not have a general standard on the meaning of the term.
The wide "free range" in the US has caused some people to search for alternative terms. "Poultry" is a term promoted by farmer/writer Joel Salatin for broilers raised in grasslands for all their lives except for a period of reflection. The concept of Grilled Poultry is promoted by the Association of Animal Producers of American Poultry Livestock (APPPA), a peasant organization that maintains their poultry using the principles of Salatin.
Cattle with free range
Traditional American usages equate the "free range" with "unencumbered," and with the implication that no shepherd keeps them together or manages them in any way. By law, free-range jurisdiction allows cattle (perhaps only of a few named species) to be free, and the owner is not liable for the damage they inflict. In such jurisdictions, persons who wish to avoid damage by livestock should fence them; elsewhere, the owners have to fence them.
USDA does not have a specific definition for beef, pork, and other non-poultry products. All USDA definitions of "free range" refer specifically to poultry.
In a December 2002 Federal Register notice and a request for comment (67 Fed Reg. 79552), the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service proposed "minimum requirements for livestock production and the meat industry/marketing claims". Many categories of industrial claims are included in the notice, including breed claims, antibiotic claims, and grain feeding claims. "Free Range, Free Roaming, or Raised Padang Grass" will be defined as "cattle that have unlimited access to pastures throughout their life cycle" with the exception of pigs ("sustainable access to pastures for at least 80% of their cyclical production" ). In a Federal Register notice of May 2006 (71 Fed Reg. 27662), the agency presented its summary and response to comments received at the 2002 notice, but only for the category of "feeding grass" that the agency declared was a category separate from "free range". Comments received for other categories, including "free ranges," will be published in upcoming Federal Register editions.
European Union
The EU regulates marketing standards for egg farms that set the following minimum (cumulative) conditions for a range-free method:
- chickens have continuous daytime access to the open air, except in the case of temporary restrictions imposed by the veterinary authority,
- the open air path to which the chicken has access is mainly covered with vegetation and not used for any other purpose except for gardens, forests and cattle grazing if the latter is authorized by the authorities, The open air lane must at least meet the requirements specified in Article 4 (1) (3) (b) (ii) of Directive 1999/74/EC where maximum density is not greater than 2500 chickens per hectare of available land for a chicken or a mother hen per 4 m 2 at any time and running not exceeding the radius of 150 m from the nearest pofol of the building; an extension of up to 350 m from the nearest pofole of the building is allowed as long as sufficient quantities of shelters and drinking troughs in the sense that the provision is evenly distributed across open air operations with at least four shelters per hectare.
Otherwise, egg farms in the EU are classified into 4 categories: Organic (ecological), Free Range, Warehouse, and Stall.) Mandatory labeling on eggshells associates the numbers (which are the first digits of the label) for each category: 0 for Organic, 1 for Free Range, 2 for Warehouse and 3 for Cage.
There are EU regulations on what means free ranges for laying chickens and broilers (chicken meat) as shown above. However, there are no EU regulations for the domestic pigs, so pigs can be indoors for some of their lives. In order to be classified as game animals, animals must have access to the outside of the home for at least part of their lives.
United Kingdom
Pigs Pregnant pigs with free status are kept in groups and are often given straw for bedding, roots and candy. About 40% of the British piglets are left free outdoors and deep inside the huts in their range.
Laying eggs Production of shellless eggs including barns, organic systems and free ranges. In the UK, the free range system is the most popular of non-stable alternatives, accounting for about 57% of all eggs, compared to 2% in barns and 2% organic. In a distance-free system, chickens are placed to the same standard as a barn or a bird cage.
Free maintenance of appetizers Free enlargement of appetizers to lay eggs is now being pioneered in the UK by various poultry farms. In this system, the pullet is allowed outside of as young as 4 weeks, rather than the conventional system in which the pullet is kept in the granary and allowed to come out at 16 weeks of age.
Chicken Free-range broilers are kept for meat and are allowed access to the outside for at least 8 hours daily. The free-range broiler system uses slower-growing chicken breeds to improve well-being, which means they achieve cutting weight at 16 weeks of age rather than the age of 5-6 weeks in standard maintenance systems.
Turkey The free-range turkey has continuous access to the outdoor variety during the day. This range should be mostly covered in vegetation and allow more space. Access to fresh air and daylight means better eye and breathing health. The turkey is able to exercise and exhibit a natural behavior that produces stronger and healthier legs. The free-range system often uses a turkey breed that grows more slowly.
Free Range of Milk In recent years the free-range milk schemes have become more common. Livestock that supplies milk under the free-range diary brands adheres to the promise of pasture, meaning cows will have access to pastures for grazing for at least 180 days and nights of the year. There is evidence to suggest that milk from grass contains higher levels of fat such as omega-3 and conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). In addition, a variety of free dairy products give consumers more choice as to where their milk comes from. Free dairy products give consumers certainty that the milk they drink comes from cows with the freedom to roam and can graze in their natural habitat.
Australia
Australian standards in relation to free-range production are largely supported by signs of third-party certification trading in the absence of significant legally binding legislation. A number of certification bodies are used by proponents to identify their products with a certain level of animal welfare standards. In events where manufacturers do not choose to use certified trademarks and simply state that their product is 'free range', manufacturers are bound by consumer expectations and perceptions of what is a free range. Manufacturers are generally deemed to be bound by the Code of Animal Welfare Practice Model issued by CSIRO, and in some of these states form part of the law.
Egg laying egg
In Australia, three farming methods for egg production are used. In 2011, traditional egg eggs (or batteries) accounted for 42% of the value, the egg-laying accounts laid on the bay by 10% of the value, the free-range eggs accounted for 44% of the value, and organic eggs accounted for 4% of the value. The growing demand for free eggs due to customer concerns about animal welfare has led to a number of different standards evolving in relation to three measures of core wellbeing - indoor density, outdoor density, and half-life pruning. The Model Code of Practice recommends practices for free-ranging agriculture with the following standards:
- Maximum indoor density 30 kg/m2, equivalent to about 14-15 birds/m2.
- Maximum outdoor spacing density of 1500 birds/ha, although this can be increased by rotation to fresh pastures
- Access to outdoor coverage is at least 8 hours per day, except in bad weather conditions
- 2 meters popholes per 1,000 birds for access to range
- The half-cut is allowed, and performed by an accredited operator
The above standards are not always met, and on some occasions manufacturers may want more ethical standards. Thus, certified trademarks play an important role in determining what constitutes a free range. The key certifications used for laying hens in Australia include the following...
Egg Corp. Assured is the weakest standard, set by industry peak group and largely based on Practice Model Code. Egg Corp. Assured differs in that it interprets the outside container density as largely irrelevant to welfare. Egg Corp. Assured has been known to endorse a farm that holds up to 44,000 birds per hectare outdoors, far exceeding recommendations. Like the Model Code of practice, half trimming is allowed and indoor density runs up to 15 birds per m2.
RSPCA-Approved Farming is a workable standard for egg producers laid out in barn-laid and free-range. Farms that use this certification must have indoor density of 9 bird/m2 indoors on the board, or 7 bird/m2 indoors in the litter system. This standard dictates a maximum outdoor density of 1500 per ha without rotation, or 2500 birds per ha with rotation, and allowable half trimming.
Egg Free Range & amp; The Australian Poultry Standard (FREPA) provides shear scale for indoor density, with 10 birds/m2 allowed only in enclosures that hold less than 1,000 birds, and 6 birds/m2 maximum for barns with more than 4,000 birds. Nothing is said in the standard about outdoor density, so it is assumed that farmers must meet the standards under the Model Code. Cutting beaks are allowed under this certification.
The Standard of Human True Free True Ranges are some of the healthiest as far as animal welfare is concerned. Cutting the beak or other mutilation is not allowed, the perch should be provided, and the maximum number of herds should not exceed 2,500 per barn. Density of outdoor spread is 1500 birds per hectare, and indoor density is 5 birds per m2.
Australian Certified Organic Standards includes criteria on feed content and pesticide use other than animal welfare requirements. Maximum indoor density of 8 birds/m2, although most operators below this standard recorded their density of 5 birds per m2. The outdoor density is 1000 birds per ha, and trimming the beak is not allowed.
Chicken Chicken
In Australia, organic chicken and chicken have about 16.6% of the value in the poultry market. This percentage is expected to grow to 25% in the next 5 years. No poultry is raised in a cage in Australia. There are three major certification trademarks in this market.
Egg Free Range & amp; The Australian Poultry Standard (FREPA) is the standard by which most of the free domestic poultry supermarket brands are accredited below. These standards require an indoor stocking density of up to 30 kg per m2 indoors (about 15 birds per m2), and half trimming is not allowed. Open stocking density is not mentioned, but it is understood that outdoor distance must be at least 1.5 times the floor area inside the barn.
The RSPCA Approved Agriculture Standard for free range requires an indoor spreading density of about 17 birds per m2, and an outdoor density of up to 17 birds per m2. Halting pruning is prohibited under this system.
Australian Certified Organic Standard determines maximum indoor toxin densities up to 12 birds per m2 indoors, and 2500 birds per hectare outdoors. These standards require perch, and prevent the large conventional broiler pens.
See also
- Ethical consumerism
- Free reach eggs
- Grass-fed beef
- Organic eggs
- Chickens as pets
- Shepheres
- Ethical omnivoreisme
- Yarding
References
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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