Did you have an egg with breakfast today? If so, perhaps you shouldn't watch the video clip above. It's truly horrifying.
The Humane Society of the United States went undercover to reveal the problems it found at an egg factory (well, I suppose you could call it a "farm" but it's operates more like an industrial factory, churning out millions of eggs every year) owned by Kreider Farms, a major egg producer in Pennsylvania.
The following problems, among others, were documented by the HSUS investigator.
- Birds were severely overcrowded in cages more cramped than the national average; each hen received only 54–58 square inches of space on which to spend her life.
- Injured and dead hens, including mummified bird carcasses, were found inside cages with living hens laying eggs for human consumption.
- Hens were left without water for days when a water source malfunctioned, causing many to die.
- Hens' legs, wings, and heads were found trapped in cage wires and automated feeding machinery.
- A thick layer of dead flies on the barn floors caused a crunching sound when walking on it.
The welfare of egg-laying chicken has been a battleground between the industry trade group United Egg Producers and The Humane Society for years, and recently, the two sides actually came together to support new rules [PDF] for egg farmers (A few months ago, NPR's Morning Edition ran an interesting story of how the two bitter adversaries actually came to work together - it all started with breakfast, of course).
The Kreider Farms opposed the proposed legislation. That got The Humane Society to start investigation as to why. Before you condemn the entire industry, you should know that it already has voluntary standards on how to raise chicken, but as you can see in the video clip above, Kreider's operation seems to fall well below that (the company denies this).
Yes, it's easy to say that egg producers - whether they be big companies or small farmers - should stick to using cage-free chicken, but that comes at an economic cost, as the Europeans are finding out when egg prices shot up about 250% in some regions.
Perhaps the best opinion is voiced by Nicholas Kristof of The New York Times in his column "Is an Egg for Breakfast Worth This?" who wrote:
For those who are wavering, think for a moment about the arc of empathy. Centuries ago, we humans amused ourselves by seeing other people executed or tortured. Until modern times, we considered it sport to see animals die horrible deaths. Now our sensibilities have evolved so that there is an outcry when animals are abused — unless it happens out of sight on farms.
The police would stop wayward boys who were torturing a stray dog, so should we allow industrialists to abuse millions of hens? Shouldn’t we agree on minimum standards?
Link: Undercover at Kreider Farms [PDF]
I give my spare eggs to anyone who wants them.
I remember the horrific ''mad cow'' madness a few years back, Nick. Which didn't spread to the USA. The way the cows were slaughtered by the thousands was not pleasant. I believe the UK also had a huge problem with sheep around the same time.
Of course, you just needed another reason to bash the US, I know.
But just sayin'. Not all of us have short memories.
Sometimes when we go to the supermarket, we forget that something had to die for us to get that meat. I've got no issues with killing and eating animals, but I have big issues with the way they're treated (and what they're fed) while they're alive.
I love meat, and could never imagine not eating it, but I am careful about where I source my food. Just like animals in science, you have to respect what's going on and be thoughtful of it. Personally, I try to find organic, local farms, which helps small business and supports the food system that I think works well. Sometimes people can't afford that, or do not have access to it, but I have been lucky in living in rural areas most of my life.
As far as legal/ethical behavior in food (broadly), I am often surprised how many articles focus on welfare associated with animals in animal husbandry -an activity that man has been involved in for millennia - and so few address the copyright issues going on with Monsanto and the pollination of plants, which is so new in its character that it really is shaping the future of our access to crops.
Would any of you be questions:
- The legitimacy of the video
- Whether it mattered that it was an isolated case or daily practice
- Whether dogs in China should be eaten if treated better, or gays in this country should still be discriminated against but not so much.
- Whether it belonged in this blog or not
Why not?
Because you are not a part of any of those problems and you see those issues from an outside perspective. The blame is not in you, but in others.
THEY are terrible people for doing this, not you.
The problem with animal rights issues is that YOU are the problem, and people tend to become VERY defensive about it because they don't like to see themselves as cruel, unethical or even remotely associated with any of it.
The truth is, we have all consumed eggs from chickens who lived in the very conditions presented in this video. Whether by buying it directly, by having it in a restaurant, or eating it in a cake or doughnut.
But why is it so hard for people to look at the issue and go - wait a minute, this is pretty horrible, let me look into this further because I don't want to be a part of this anymore!
I've been there and done that. My decision didn't come lightly. I did a lot of research, contacted humane farms to try and find a solution that would be in keeping with my habits, but I found none that pleased me. In the end the conclusion was simple - that I was going to have to change my habits in order to keep them in line with my ethical values.
Once the coin drops, it's all very clear. It's kind of like taking the red pill on the Matrix. Suddenly you see everything for what it is, and you start reading more and more and become more and more convinced that what you doing is the right thing and that others should know about this, because there's so much stuff behind it!
Thank you Alex for planting a seed - I hope people take this opportunity to do their own research and hopefully come to the same conclusion that I have come to.
You don't need to support organisations, you need to vote with your actions by not consuming animal products and being aware of the source of the other things, especially those you consume on a daily basis.
vegan propaganda
vegan lobby
animal rights extremists
You guys think we're terrorists and lying to get an agenda across to benefit ourselves?
Vegan activists are likely one of the most well studied activist groups there is. You are making claims of humane farming practices and suggesting that this video is an isolated case because it's posted by an animal rights group, when you actually have NO knowledge about any of this!
Have you gone out and studied it all for yourself? Do you know how your humanely raised animals are slaughtered? Do you know how many hours they are transported in a truck with no water and ventilation? Do you know about the body alterations they endure without anesthetic? Do you know how laws are passed to incriminate people who expose or even talk about these practices? Do you know how veterinary care is conducted, if at all? About how sick animals are treated?
And have you studied anything about philosophy, the history of social justice, ethics, morality, etc?
You make claims based on personal beliefs or little information much of which is fed to you by the industry that sells you the stuff - and you have the cheek to try and defend the cause?
There is a LOT more to this whole story than a short video can show you.
Call farms, visit them (they won't let you so go undercover), watch documentaries, get a job at a slaughterhouse during your summer break, read books on the subject to fill you in on the things you didn't see, read books on ethics, look up statistics surrounding animal agriculture, water polution, CO2 emissions, common practices inside farms (traditional and factory).
After all that, come back to me and you can have an educated argument about the subject.
Resources to get you started:
PHD Melanie Joy on the Psychology of eating animals: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7vWbV9FPo_Q
Working under-cover in a slaughter-house:
http://boingboing.net/2012/03/08/working-undercover-in-a-slaugh.html
USDA food recommendation vs Food subsidies:
http://www.pcrm.org/media/news/usdas-new-myplate-icon-at-odds-with-federal
Documentaries:
www.watchearthlings.com
www.getvegucated.com
www.forksoverknives.com
Books:
Eating Animals
The China Study
Food Revolution
Animals as Persons
Animal Liberation
Why we love dogs, eat pigs and wear cows
Rain without thunder
Also, just going to leave this here:
http://activistcash.com/organization_overview.cfm/o/136-humane-society-of-the-united-states
Thanks for the chuckle, Elissa. Keep Alex in his place for us, would you please.
I understand why videos like this exist, and I respect everyone's viewpoints, right to believe what they would like, and right to live the lifestyle that they choose. I myself am a vegetarian, and am very aware of the level of animal cruelty in the food industry.
I do not, however, think that it's appropriate for these type of videos to be posted on this website. This site is not suppose to be a means through which contributers may present their personal viewpoints to its audience. If you want to spread the word about this and share the video, please do so through your friends and family.
This isn't the first time you've posted videos and links like this. I don't appreciate you taking advantage of your position in this community, and using it as a platform for your personal beliefs. As a faithful visitor of Neatorama, I am fed up with your constant propaganda. This site is for entertainment, not politics. Try to keep that in mind.
That said, I have a pretty low tolerance for animal cruelty and there's room for a world of improvement in every corner of the United States, not to mention the rest of the world. Whether this is a propaganda piece or not is irrelevant. You can still do YOUR part to not participate in animal cruelty. Buy local, buy cage-free, buy grass-fed, etc.
@Mongo: 100% correct.
Last weekend, driving near the outskirts of Birmingham we passed something that in my 25 years on this planet, I have NEVER seen before. A field with chickens in it!
I actually found myself staring, and commented to my other half I thought it was very sad that was the first time I'd ever seen chickens living in a field (apart from the odd pet on a farm but that's different-this was obviously a much larger scale thing)
Would be very nice to see more chickens running around in fields instead of stories like this!
definitely a neat post. Ignorance is not bliss people.
I doubt the Humane Society staged that video.
Anyhoo....
It is certainly possible to get humanely treated meat, no matter what the vegan lobby would have you believe. And the best thing about it is that humanely treated meat tastes sooooooooo much better than the factory farmed concentration camp food. Grass-fed beef and free range chicken are fed ground-up unicorn horns (which totally grow back once per year so it's not like you're killing the unicorn). Really, try a grass-fed steak and you'll never go back to that stuff that grows in the meat counter of your supermarket again.
Remember though that whether free range or not, chickens are obtained from hatcheries. They separate male chicks from female ones, and since male chicks are of no use to them they kill them in one of 3 ways.
- grinding them alive (most common)
- putting them in a plastic bag and throwing it away.
- gassing them
Their meat sometimes goes to waste and sometimes will be used in pet food.
The only way to truly live compassionately is to not consume any animal product. It sounds hard if not impossible at first, but after a few weeks it becomes the most normal thing in the world, and you'll sleep with your conscience clear that no exploitation of innocent lives is being caused under your name.