Animal Welfare

Fauna Association's Broiler Campaign 2005

Experiences

Children contest

 Goal : to link education and campaigning

• The exercise was to ask for a copy of Farm Animals and Us video which was amended with the Meatrix animation with Hungarian subtitles. After watching the film, the children had to act or imitate like a chicken in an industrial farm and in a family farm by the leading of the teacher. They had to prove to Fauna with a photo that they really did the exercise. We also asked for their written personal opinion with a prepared formulation. Teachers had to send us photo(s) and the opinion sheets.
• Farm Animals and Us video was sent for free and we hope the teacher can and will use it in future lessons after contest has finished.
• 48 classes of 30 schools from 17 townships were participated in the contest. Altogether 930 opinion sheets were sent to us.
• Permanent communication with participants (by email and by phone).
• Last year little campaign (supported by CIWF Ltd about raising public awareness) was a good preparation for this year's bigger campaign.
• Farm Animals and Us proved to be a very good material showing basic welfare problems. Teachers also liked the way of thinking of the film – you must decide, be a conscious consumer, etc.
• Wider spreading of the information (e-mailing, advertising in two national teacher's magazines which are available for all schools in Hungary , and through web pages) was used compared to our similar whale campaign.
• One third of the opinions from children are useful for us. For lobby purpose to handle these opinions to the Minister of Agriculture.
• Capital city schools are not interested in the contest – no one of them applied.
• Teachers have a fear toward „animal protection” videos because they think all are terrific. Later on they were not disappointed, they were even grateful.
• 3 winning classes and 1 another class with a special certification (120 children altogether) were provided with campaign T-shirt and Minimax Magazine (periodical for children, Minimax was a supporter). The event was held in Odeon Cinema, Budapest – the cinema was a supporter of the event too. „Chicken Run” movie was showed to the children. Fauna also payed for their travel costs, all of the 4 „winners” came from the countryside, they had also a chance to go to a museum or somewhere else in the capital city because the event was at 1 o'clock pm .
• We've got one 20 minutes video from a school showing the whole lesson. First preliminary talking with the children about breeding animals in family farms and about their meat-eating habitats. Then showing the film, writing down their opinion and making drawings. At the end in a gym they played how a chicken could feel itself in an industrial farm and in a family farm, as they saw in the film. Some opinions from the teachers (in the class there were 8-year-old children):
• „First I had a fear that horroristic scenes would be in the film but lately I was surprised... Some aspects of industrial animal breeding were known before but I've got new informations too which was shocking for me... I liked the reactions of children very much. It wasn't hard to ask for their opinion, I didn't have to raise many questions... I've got very good feedback from their parents too.”
• „I am sure that children participated in Fauna's contest was spending their time in a beneficial way and it was also entertaining for them... Everyone can have a try how a chicken feel itself in industrial circumstances.”
• „I expected that they are too young to understand. Most of their grandparents are still breeding animals in a family farm and they don't have a clue about industrial methods. Even they don't know how meat is processed to be our food... They reacted in a very clever way, almost like adults could do. I am sure that we can build in our curriculum about environmental education, dietetic habitats and animal lessons, therefore we can provide a much better healthy way of living for the children.”