澳大利亚最大鸡肉生产商之一Baiada在新南威尔士州Tamworth建设的Oakburn处理厂近日启用，这座投资额达6亿澳元的设施采用现代建筑设计，配备先进的处理系统1。该厂满负荷运转时每周可处理300万只鸡，每小时处理速度达15000只，直接创造超过1000个就业岗位，占澳大利亚家禽市场份额近20%1。
然而，虽然设施在硬件上颇为先进，但动物福利倡导者对其改善动物福利的实际效果表示质疑1。澳大利亚动物联盟政策主任Jed Goodfellow指出，"这座厂采用的福利模式距离最先进水平还有很大距离"1。业内关注的核心问题包括鸡的生长速度过快以及饲养密度等因素1。澳大利亚目前的商用快速生长品种（如Ross 308和Cobb 500）出栏周龄仅为四到六周1。RSPCA农场动物高级科学官员Melina Tensen表示："我们当然鼓励消费者为支持这一转变而发声"1。约97%的澳大利亚鸡肉符合RSPCA认证，而RSPCA新的福利标准将于2031年1月1日生效1。
Baiada, one of Australia's largest poultry producers, opened its new Oakburn processing facility in Tamworth, New South Wales last week, representing a $600 million investment in modernized infrastructure 1. The plant features contemporary architectural design and advanced processing systems capable of handling three million chickens weekly at full capacity, or approximately 15,000 birds per hour 1. The facility is expected to create more than 1,000 jobs directly 1.
Despite the technological sophistication of the new operation, animal welfare advocates have raised concerns about whether the facility genuinely improves conditions for poultry. Jed Goodfellow, policy director for the Australian Alliance for Animals, stated that the welfare model underpinning the facility is "anything but state of the art" 1. Central to these concerns is the continued use of fast-growing chicken breeds such as Ross 308 and Cobb 500, which reach slaughter weight between four and six weeks of age 1, a practice critics argue prioritizes production speed over animal wellbeing.
The new plant will capture almost 20 percent of Australia's poultry market 1, where chicken consumption has become dominant—Australians consume approximately 55 kilograms per capita annually, with poultry accounting for almost half of all meat consumption 1. The current financial year saw the country process 800 million chickens 1. While approximately 97 percent of Australian chicken meat meets RSPCA standards 1, Melina Tensen, senior farm animal scientist at RSPCA, encouraged consumers to support welfare improvements, noting that new RSPCA welfare standards are set to take effect on January 1, 2031 1.
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