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World’s first CO2-neutral chicken eggs laid in the Netherlands

World’s first CO2-neutral chicken eggs laid in the Netherlands

15 October 2017 , by Mina Solanki

Another world’s first for farming and agriculture in the Netherlands; this time it's a CO2-neutral chicken farm with 24.000 chickens in Castenray in the province of Limburg.

The most animal and environmentally friendly chicken farm in the world

Kipster is an initiative by Styn Claessens, Ruud Zanders, Maurits Groen and Olivier Wegloop. Together with specialists, Kipster has been under development for more than four years.

Environmentally friendly

In order to achieve CO2-neutrality, specific choices have been made regarding the farm itself and the chickens that will inhabit it. White chickens will take up residence on the farm; this type of chicken is lighter in terms of weight and eats less, thus saving on the amount of feed necessary to rear the chickens.

Contributing to the eco-friendly character of the farm, the feed given to the chickens is made from agricultural farming waste products, which would otherwise not be used for human consumption.

The farm features 1.097 solar panels, which will generate more energy than the farm uses. Around 60 percent of the generated solar energy will be sold. Fossil fuels are not used and emission of particulate matter will be limited to an absolute minimum through the use of advanced technology that filters the air leaving the barn.

Animal friendly

Chickens are the inspiration for this farm, as it has been designed according to their needs, and the Dutch animal protection agency, Dierenbescherming, was involved during its development.

Chickens like sunlight and are actually forest animals. To accommodate for this, the farm design includes an indoor garden with a glass roof and trees and tree trunks where the chickens can play. The chickens can experience fresh air from outside, inside the farm, but if it is nice weather they can also venture outside and choose from two spaces to roam.

3 stars from animal welfare certifier Beter Leven

The eggs laid at the Kipster farm will receive the highest certification possible - three stars. This is due to the quality of life that the chickens have at the farm and the measures taken to ensure that the eggs produced are environmentally friendly.

Only sold in the Lidl

The Lidl has signed a deal with Kipster and will sell their eggs exclusively for the next five years. The sale of the eggs starts on October 26, and they will be slightly more expensive than the free-range eggs you usually see in the supermarket.

The Lidl will also sell burgers made from Kipster rooster meat. Usually, roosters are killed at birth, and in the Netherlands, this happens to more than 40 million roosters each year. The rooster burgers, however, will not receive a Beter Leven certification, as they will be raised in a different barn.

 

Mina

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Mina Solanki

British girl living in the Netherlands, enjoying the sun *coughs*, I mean rain, and filling her time with adventures.

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Robert Grillo 17:04 | 15 October 2017

This high tech "animal friendly" egg factory demonstrates how we mythologize exploitation by putting the face of "progress," on it, but even if it improved the lives of these birds as it promises, it ignores some of the worst circumstances that are an inevitable result of exploiting their bodies for eggs. And it also avoids the fact that we could instead be channeling all our ingenuity into something that would actually result in making social, not just technological, progress: an end to a reliance on animals as exploitable resources.

Peter Kaurin 21:04 | 15 October 2017

Dear Mina, I am sorry to say but the title and the introduction seem to be slightly misleading, or at the very least ambiguous. It presents the farm as an already existing one were operations are running. However, later in the article the future tense indicates intention, or a forthcoming realization of the concept. Probably you can see my point... Perhaps it is an unintentional mistake, but it is a blunder nonetheless. I hope the ambiguity will be resolved. Kind regards.

minasolanki 09:35 | 16 October 2017

Dear Peter, The Kipster farm does indeed exist and it is already open - you can even visit it. Of course, the eggs are not being sold yet. They will be available as of next week. Hope this helps clear things up for you. Best regards, Mina

Mary Finelli 05:19 | 16 October 2017

While this system might be less inhumane than some others it is no more "animal friendly" than would be a camp where innocent humans were being kept to be killed. There is nothing "friendly" about keeping sentient beings captive with the intention of killing or harmfully exploiting them. Anyone who is genuinely concerned about animal well-being --including human well-being -- and/or environmentalism will instead promote plant-sourced diets.

Laura B Aaron 14:48 | 17 October 2017

A perfect indoor factory to grow healthy food and not the stuff that already manifests in increased rick of disease, which eggs do. There's as much need for humans to eat hens eggs as there is for hens to eat human ovaries, NONE.. This scenario is ripe for the transformation already underway in growing plant based proteins or any vegetable that provides nutrients, fiber and minerals, not the cholesterol laden, acidic protein in hens eggs. It's illogical and counter-intuitive when doctors are taking people off animal foods and prescribing plant based nutrients as the real medicine these FOODS have always been.. Nothing humane or natural about cramming 24,000 hens inside this warehouse, Their home is not indoors or confined in walled prisons. That's NOT food, it's violence.