Jan 20 2011
Egg Choices, Begone!
Following on “Californians for Humane Farms,” “Ohioans for Humane Farms,” Arizonans for Humane Farms,” “Missourians for the Protection of Dogs,” and other cash-cow front groups, a new astroturf organization run by the Humane Society of the United States (note the URL) sprung up yesterday in the state of Washington.
It calls itself—wait for it—“Washingtonians for Humane Farms.” How original.
But if you’re thinking that this is going to be another replay of the 2008 “Proposition 2” in California, think again. This ballot initiative is more far-reaching, and twice as odious.
The language in California’s “Prop 2” was all about how chickens were to be kept. If it ever actually gets implemented, it will require Golden State farmers to provide egg-laying hens with enough room to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs.
When HSUS’s lawyers wrote this language, they probably saw it as self-evident that egg farmers would have to completely get rid of their cages in order to comply. That thinking turned out to be wrong. The language is so vague that one California egg producer is going to court to guarantee approval of its “enriched” cages—the kind the American Humane Association approves of, and of which Temple Grandin says “that’s where producers need to head.”
After Prop. 2 passed, HSUS came back with another California law—this one making it illegal to sell an egg that wasn’t produced according to Prop. 2’s restrictions. This approach has “Unconstitutional” written all over it. (That pesky Commerce Clause…) But unless someone challenges it in federal court, it’s set to become California law in four years.
The measure that HSUS unveiled yesterday wraps all these developments into one big hassle:
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Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a farm owner or operator shall not knowingly confine an egg-laying hen:
- in a manner that prevents the hen from turning around freely, lying down, standing up, or fully extending her wings; or
- in a cage that is stacked or otherwise placed on top of or below another cage confining one or more egg-laying hens.
- A person shall not knowingly sell or offer for sale any shell egg for human consumption that is the product of an egg-laying hen confined in a manner contrary to the prohibitions of subsection (1) of this section.
It’s all in there: No cages, no eggs for sale that were produced in cages, no cost-saving efficiency of any kind. And don’t get us started about the increased mortality rates of the chickens, once they’re let loose to live in big flocks. (Remember them? The chickens?)
There’s lots to talk about in this story beyond just how lousy HSUS’s preferred farm system is for the animals that inhabit it.
For starters, why is HSUS hosting a mirror of its “Washingtonians for Humane Farms” website at the Internet domain of what looks to be a real-live political (i.e., electoral) campaign?
Visit KennethLewisForSenate.com and you’ll find yourself back at the anti-agriculture campaign’s website, instead of at the campaign site of the former U.S. Senate candidate from North Carolina. (Here’s a screen-shot, just in case HSUS cleans this up.)
No, we don’t understand what this means either. It’s just kinda creepy.
Also, Wayne Pacelle (or his staff) wrote yesterday that “We have fewer than six months to gather more than 300,000 signatures of Washington voters.” The actual number looks to be around 242,000 signatures. (That’s 8% of the number of people who cast votes for governor the last time Washington elected one.)
Activists will need to collect the signatures from registered voters and turn them in by July 8 in order to get the issue on the ballot in November. HSUS’s Paul Shapiro told the Associated Press last night that HSUS (in the reporter’s words) “will rely on an extensive network of volunteers to gather signatures.”
If you believe that, we have some really tasty vegan rack of lamb for you to taste. Every anti-animal-agriculture ballot campaign HSUS has run in recent years depended on paid signature-gatherers to get the job done. This one will probably be no different.
In any event, the odds are seriously stacked against HSUS in the state of Washington, where very few initiatives that are filed ever become “certified” for the ballot. Last year, 77 measures were proposed, of which nine made it to the ballot (and only four passed). In 2009, 23 measures were filed and just one was certified. (The voters rejected it). In 2008, 57 measures were filed and voters saw just three on Election Day. (They approved two and rejected one. )
HSUS’s ballot initiative text hasn’t hit the Washington Secretary of State’s website yet, but there are already 15 different initiatives proposed. It’s going to be another crowded field, and Washington residents are going to get “signature fatigue” pretty quickly.
All of which bodes well for chickens, and for consumer choice.
We’re of the opinion that the politics of food tend to be intensely personal, and that people should have lots of choices. Reasonable people will, of course, have reasonable disagreements about chicken welfare, so consumers should be able to choose what they want to buy when they shop. There’s a place for ordinary eggs, for cage-free, for free-range, and whatever else comes down the pike. Buy whatever your values (and your income) suggest, even if that leads you to opt for no eggs at all.
HSUS’s approach is to force the options it doesn't like out of the marketplace, leaving everyone with fewer choices and more expensive food. We disagree with that plan, and we hope most Washingtonians do too.
Posted on 01/20/2011 at 07:30 AM by the HumaneWatch Team
Animal Agriculture • Eggs • Gov't, Lobbying, Politics • (13) CommentsComments
Well maggie George Bush sr. singed a law that should cover what your saying you can find it on HW. 4500 people sent the isr letters asking them to rake the hsus over the coals, they are supposedly doing it now. the irs said it would take a year to do it I hope they take them out and put some of them in prison were they need to be.
It sounds like a repeat of cal. and ohio same dammed thing so wash. study those two states and learn what to do, to stop them.
Before you fine folks make comments, please visit any large-scale factory farm! The abuse, even according to the GAO (for you ignorant folks) that is the General Accounting Office of the United States, your tax dollars are being used to supply you with hormone-ridden, feces-ridden and antibiotic ridden meat that you consume and causes 85% of known diseases that cause mortality! Now I am not even speaking about the cruelty factor!!! Remember folks their is one great equalizer in this world, PAIN.
I love how folks that don’t really know what they are talking about like to accuse others of being ignorant.
I grew up on a farm. A farmer’s business is animal agriculture. The better they can do the job of caring for their animals properly the more profit they can make. It’s bad business to abuse an animal.
Bad hygiene is bad for business as it can promote diseases causing unnecessary losses.
The truth is that farmers know more about proper animal agriculture than anyone at HSUS producing doctored films. Some others have gone behind HSUS and investigated to find the total opposite of what was reported by HSUS. Don’t believe everything you see on TV. HSUS is not your friend and they are not burdened with the need to tell the truth.
HSUS doesn’t really care for animals. I find myself wondering if they care for anything at all besides their 6 figure income. It doesn’t matter to them that cage free hens suffer more than hens maintained in a cage system. There is more cannibalism and a higher percentage of deaths in a cage free system.
Thanks to US farmers we have the cheapest, safest, most abundant food supply in the world. Over and above that our farmers help to feed the rest of the world as well. Export of agricultural products help the US cut trade deficits.
If you ate today. Thank a farmer.
Gloria, please identify the location of this abuse, who is doing it, when it occurred, and what specific evidence you have. Since hormones have been illegal in chickens for some time, please identify specifically which producer is breaking the law and giving their birds hormones. Please identify which processor is packaging “feces-ridden” meat for consumers. And lastly, please tell us when you will be turning all of your evidence over to authorities.
Or is this all something you read on a website? If you’re gonna make allegations of criminal conduct, you need to back it up with specifics.
Thank you, Rebecca, for putting Gloria on the spot. The internet has been responsible for more garbage being passed off as truth than anything else. If people would do their own research and only pass on what could be proven as FACT there would be much more understanding. I am always fascinated by how government agencies are freely quoted as supplying their information but when you try to find this information, it just doesn’t exist.
@Gloria we don’t believe a word you say. I have a question for you—are you a paid troll for HSUS?
@ gloria I have been in a lot of chicken houses and it’s not what you are saying. And where do you think eggs come from? The eggs are washed! Did you ever hear of that?
JUST LIKE THE GOVERNMENT AND THEIR GREED WITH THE MEAT INDUSTRIES AS THEIR INTEREST GROUPS. ANIMALS SUFFER PERIOD.
WHAT FREAKEN FARM WERE YOU ON? LIER!
FACTORY FARMING IS VILE AND ABUSIVE. THE MEAT INDUSTRY IS A BUSINESS THAT IS OUT TO SAVE THEIR ASSES, JUST LIKE THE EVIL FUR BUSINESSES THAT TORTURE ANIMALS. IF YOU ARE EATTING MEAT, YOU ARE IGNORANT AND SELFISH OR JUST COLD BLOODED. YOU ARE NO DIFFERENT THAT CHINA THAT THE POOR SKIN CATS & DOGS ALIVE…...KILLING AND RAISING ANIMALS FOR FAT ASS AMERICA. CANCER, HEART ATTACKS, HIGH CHOLESTROL, DIABETES ALL ON THE RISE…...NOT IN JAPAN. EAT YOUR MEAT AND DIE EARLY OR SUPPORT THE DRUG INDUSTRIES THAT YOU MAKE RICH….FOOD ADDICTION…...THANKS TO LIES OF OUR GOVERNMENT…...CHRISTIAN? UNEDUCATED PEOPLE THAT FOLLOW AND DN’T QUESTION .....SHEEP…...EAT & DIE. AMERICA, # 1 MEAT INDUSTRY…....LAST 50 YEARS AMERICA HAS LOST ANY MORALS OR VALUES FOR LIFE…....NOT EVEN FOR THEIR DOGS…..........FAST FOOD NATION…..FOOLS.
THERE IS NO BALANCE….....FAT AMERICA.
SO MANY OTHER WAYS TO GET HEALTHY PROTEIN….........EDUCATE WITH FACTS…....DUMB DUMB AMERICA AND GREEDY WORLD OF FOOLS. REALLY. FOOLS.
I’ve read that a long term vegan diet can damage the brain. Humans evolved to be omnivores. It’s a fact, it’s actually, oh cheeseburgers (eggs, milk & meat) are satisfactual!
I am an agricultural economics student researching the policy and cost/benefit of possible cage free egg production. Prop 2 that was passed in California has no teeth and will probably come under scrutiny once it comes into full effect in 2015. It doesn’t ban cage systems for hens, only increases the floor space given, 112 cm^2 for white hens and 125 cm^2 for brown hens which is just enough room for them to stretch their wings and turn around without hitting the cage. The law states that any shelled egg sold in California must comply with the law which means out of state producers (1/3 of total production in CA) must also comply. This is dicey since this falls under interstate commerce and must ultimately follow federal law that doesn’t have the strict provisions of California law. A lawyer could easily sue and make out of state producers not liable to follow prop 2 which would lead to the collapse of California egg production since they wouldn’t be able to compete with out of state producers. Consumers wouldn’t see a price change either way due to the structure of the marketing channel; out of state producers could easily pick up the increased demand at negligible marginal costs. I’m all for increased welfare of farm animals as long as the benefit exceeds the cost. Healthy chickens produce healthy eggs which means more nourishment for the consumer. Healthy chickens are less likely to contract salmonella, which means humans are less likely to contract salmonella(one of the biggest food borne illnesses in america). Healthy chickens have stronger immune systems to fight off serious potential outbreaks of bird flu and other contagions. What doesn’t make any sense to me is why the Humane society and animal advocates don’t just start their own farm. Put the money into farming the way they think it should be done instead of wasting their money on vampiric lawyers. If only someone would invest a little time and effort into finding a way to utilize economies of scale for free range chickens. There must be a way but why put forth the effort unless someone forces you? People are resistant to change and until all consumers switch their purchases to cage free or a federal law comes out banning traditional battery cages no net change will occur.
One assumption in your argument is that cage free hens are healthier, however. this is a profound assumption unsupported by scientific investigation. Cage free means more contact with pathogens, protozoan & parasites. Also cage free allows for more cannibalism among the population - hen pecked.
I do agree 100% that the animal rights groups should start their own farms and light the way. However that will never happen as they don’t care about the animals. They care about the money they can raise with their abuses toward animal owners and persons involved in animal husbandry.
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We should introduce a bill to make it illegal to introduce animal rights driven bills. HELLO! AMERICA! Your food supply is under attack by domestic terrorists in suits and ties. The poor will suffer the most from these kinds of things. It can be argued that it is a direct attack on the poor. Also why isn’t the IRS pulling their tax free status since all HSUS does is lobby and try to pass bills. If I did that they’d have me under the jail.