New research on animal cruelty – courtesy of the American Egg Industry
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Being nice to animals is so hot right now. We’re all up on locally-raised meat, grass-fed chickens and other friendly, happy ways to describe how non-human animals are reared and slaughtered.
So maybe that’s what prompted the launch of a few new studies to determine what everybody already knows but kind of just ignores: hens living in small cages have crappy lives. Chicken cages are usually around 24 inches long and 25 inches wide, and are shared by nine hens. Those animals account for 96 percent of the eggs sold in American supermarkets.
The first study, sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, who are still busy sucking at the teat of the American Dairy Board, seeks to determine “how different housing affects egg-laying hens.” Good question.
The second study is sponsored by the American Egg Industry – at least they aren’t even trying to seem neutral and objective with this one – and is pretty much investigating the same issue.
Obviously, I’m inclined to roll my big vegan eyes at this: you don’t need to know much about animal agriculture to know that living in a dirty, cramped pen will cause some distress to beings who are sentient – and as intelligent as small children. That’s like stuffing me and a few friends into a filthy bathroom for a few years and seeing what happens.
The egg industry, however, isn’t convinced:
Producers see it differently, claiming caged hens are healthier and satisfied with the only lives they’ve ever known…”Is this animal cruelty? This absolutely is not,” said Bob Krouse, an egg producer based in Mentone, Ind., and president of the United Egg Producers industry group.
This isn’t cruelty? Really?
We’ve got district attorney offices launching dog fighting tipster phone lines, because it doesn’t take a study to figure out that confining, mutilating and otherwise harming a dog isn’t okay. Until we change the legal definition of what an animal is – what it means to be non-human but sentient – animals will be treated cruelly, and people like Bob Krouse will gloss it all over, and studies like these will too.
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Oh come on Katie, the studies are from the people who know hens best
For the past year I’ve been too disgusted to buy supermarket eggs since I’ve seen that video of male chick disposal. I get my eggs from a couple who raise hens on their own and in a comparison of their hens (who spend their day roaming on the couple’s grassy property and mocking the roosters) and the hens in factories (who are treated like slavish items locked into the lifelong misery of being sedentary), the factory hens don’t look at all healthy.
I think these studies are from people who like fat wallets, and are scared that consumers are starting to learn a little too much about where their food comes from…
I think the moral hypocrisy is pretty sketchy here. Would Mr. Krouse be pleased if I tossed his cute little kitten into a pen with eight other kittens? Doubt it.
If he made a significant bonus to his income off your action.
What these people care about in gain in capital. Money always goes over morals, if they saw they could become far more moneyed businesses by treating hens under what the masses see are humane (which would most likely be far from it), they would.
What is frustrating is that no matter how much I try to change my life style there is always going to be the rest of my family, friends, neighbors, and whoever who just don’t really see the purpose – they’ll see the 30 second clip of animals in inhumane conditions that goes on once a season on ABC world news and say “oh, that’s horrible!”. Then they’ll turn on Seinfeld and forget it.
In response to another comment. See in context »As a species, we are such an efficient and ingenious lot aren’t we? Farms such as this are but one example of the panoply of means we have engineered to feed the hundreds of millions of hungry human mouths. Billions, of beautiful little miracles, unleashed on the Earth to the ultimate scourge of all Her bountiful resources and diversity of life.
For an even more efficient means of protein processing, you should look at this page. Wow… that’s human ingenuity at its finest. Extra Satan-points for whomever dreamed up this super money saver!
Andy: First of all, ugh to that link! Second, are you vegan? Just asking, because you seem to have a pretty strong opinion on the matter.
Heck no… life without swine is no life at all!
(i’m convinced all those firebrand mullahs would chill the hell out – to the level of say, a slightly upset Pat Robertson, if they knew the Nirvana that is slow roasted pork.)
In response to another comment. See in context »