Battery egg farmer pleaded guilty to cruelty

Battery egg farmer Steve Holme pleaded guilty to four counts of cruelty to battery hens in a landmark court case in Kurri Kurri today.

Holme was facing charges under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act brought by Animal Liberation NSW president Mark Pearson last year.

Holme pleaded guilty to charges of: * failing to prevent a hen from being exposed to excessive cold due to being wet from a broken pipe; * failing to prevent abuse to a hen suffering inflammation and trapped under the egg baffle plate; * failure to provide a hen with necessary veterinarian treatment for an 80mm bleeding mass on its wing and * failure to provide a hen with necessary veterinarian treatment for a 35mm mass on its upper beak.

The magistrate said there was an obligation on those who were in charge of caring for hens to ensure they are properly inspected and cared for on a daily basis.

While no conviction was recorded Railton sentenced Holme to a 12-month good behaviour bond, saying if any aberrations occurred in this period Holme would be back before the court.

Animal Liberation director Susan Neal welcomed the magistrate's decision. This proves what we have been saying for many years that the battery system is inherently cruel to those it imprisons, Neal said. When we brought this matter to public attention in August last year the RSPCA said it was not possible to prosecute because battery farming was legal. So we took on the case ourselves and today's decision vindicates us. This is the third battery farmer to be found guilty of cruelty in as many states during the past eight months.

The nation's agriculture ministers must take note of this decision and ban the battery cage when they meet in August.