04.10.07

The Rotten Egg Industry

Posted in Veganism, Social Justice, Animal Rights, Farm Investigations, Raised "Humanely" at 9:30 am by Freeman Wicklund

Chickens are intelligent and social animals who, like us, feel pain and suffering; and also, like us, want to live free and enjoy their lives.

Despite the hens’ innocence, the egg industry treats these gentle animals worse than our penal system treats convicted murderers and rapists. Hens are locked in overcrowded, tiny, filthy cages called “battery cages,” unable to freely spread their wings or turn around. Part of their beaks are painfully cut off. Injuries go untreated, causing them to languish in agony. And when their egg production declines, they are sent to a grisly death. So I ask, how badly do we really need cheap eggs?

This video by Mercy for Animals shows the conditions of hens in four Ohio egg farms providing eggs that were labeled “Animal Care Certified” by the United Egg Producers, an egg industry trade organization.

The Better Business Bureau (BBB) was notified by Compassion Over Killing (COK) about how the “Animal Care Certified” label was deceiving the public. The BBB agreed with COK and ruled that the label was misleading. COK then filed a lawsuit which ultimately prevented the egg industry from using this label.

Now the UEP’s new label read, “United Egg Producers Certified.” What does that mean? It means the animals are treated as deplorably as you see in this video. Please stop buying and eating eggs and egg products. Learn more about cooking without eggs. And consider adopting a more vegetarian diet.

This text was written in 2007 by Freeman Wicklund of FreemanWicklund.org, and it may be freely reprinted or distributed in any e-zine, e-mail, newsletter or blog as long as this sentence and Web link are included.

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