A Queens council member is calling for live animal slaughter markets to be moved outside of New York City following unannounced visits to a market in Ridgewood and another one in Bushwick on Jan. 17.
Council Member Robert Holden, who represents Glendale, Middle Village and surrounding areas, is pushing for the change after visiting the Tiba Live Poultry Slaughter market, located at 905 Wykoff Ave. in Ridgewood, and the Kikiriki Live Poultry market, located at 334 Linden St. in Bushwick, where he alleges the animals are being mistreated.
He said that sheep and goats are being packed into undersized pens—while chickens, ducks, quails, rabbits and turkeys are in small cages. He added that these markets should not be located in the city due to public safety risks, and the poor conditions of the animals.
“They pack the birds in and they treat them roughly. It’s very cold and drafty there and most importantly the animals, especially the birds, did not look healthy. I also saw some dead chickens in these cages, and some of the other birds were pecking at the dead ones, which cannot be good. The conditions were horrendous,” he said.
Holden said he has received numerous complaints from Ridgewood residents about animal blood, feces and biohazards on the sidewalk outside the Wykoff Avenue market, which is another reason why he wants these markets to be moved out of the five boroughs.
“I wish these markets didn’t exist in New York City, but because they do they should have stricter regulations so I will be meeting with the NYPD animal cruelty squad to ensure that they stay on top of this problem,” he said.
Holden added that he is currently in the process of drafting some legislation that will enforce stricter regulations inside these markets and about where they should be located.
“The conditions inside these markets should be comfortable for the animals and they shouldn’t be stressed and tortured. I really feel strongly that these markets definitely should not be in New York City,” he said.
A representative of Tiba Live Poultry Slaughter hung up on QNS when seeking comment, while the manager of Kikiriki Live Poultry was not immediately available for comment.
