by Susan Z. Miller

Created on: November 24, 2009

It is an unfortunate truth that the term "free range" is not synonymous with "cruelty free." In recent years, availability and consumption of free range meat and eggs has grown due to rising awareness of green living and environmental concerns. As a consumer, it is very important to understand what this term actually means, and to not assume that a free range product comes from an animal that has been treated more humanely.

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, more commonly known as PETA, states that every year, more than 40 million turkeys are raised and slaughtered for the holidays alone. One may find comfort in buying a free range turkey, since the idea is that the turkey has been permitted to live a more "normal" life. However, the fact of the matter is that these birds are still slaughtered for consumption, and not in a humane way. In the Washington Post Magazine article The Truth About Turkeys, author Peter Perl states, "the term free range doesn't really tell you anything about the animal's quality of life, nor does it even assure that the animal actually goes outdoors."

In reality, free range probably means that the turkey has been raised in a barn. It could even mean that it was just raised in a pen. The USDA regulates that free range poultry must have access to the outdoors every day, but does not specify a required amount of time. The term free range also only pertains to the turkey's living conditions while it is being raised before slaughter. "Free range" has nothing to do with how the turkey has been bred, or how it will be killed.

Turkeys are delivered to farms from breeders. According to the November 2009 edition of Natural Awakenings Magazine, free range turkeys often arrive from breeders already debeaked. Debeaking is a common practice in the United States. In fact, virtually all industrially raised turkeys are debeaked. This is the process of partially removing the beak with a hot blade. It is done without anesthesia when turkey chicks are newly hatched, and is a preventative measure to reduce pecking among birds in close confinement. For the same reason, declawing is common as well. Again, this is done when a turkey is newly hatched at a breeder, even before it has arrived at a free range farm.

Many individuals make the argument that free range turkeys have meat that is healthier for human consumption. Unfortunately, this debeaking practice causes this to be largely untrue. Turkeys need to be able to forage and graze to be naturally

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