November 13, 2004
Answering Questions
Dennis posted this question as a comment to a post below, and I thought I'd answer it here, so that others wouldn't miss my response.
Q: "I noticed there are egg cartons that say that the chickens are "non-caged and free ranging" and that the eggs are organic, so the chickens weren't fed with hormones. Would these be acceptable in your eyes? If not, why not?"
A: I would still not consume these eggs. The reasons for this are manifold, and I will try to be breif in my responses.
While the eggs may be organic, and the chickens may not be given hormones, this does not mean they are treated kindly. It is true that part of my rationale for becoming vegan was to protect myself from steriods, hormones, and the like, but the primary reason behind my conversion was to prevent suffering to animals. Furthermore, unless it is USDA approved Organic, the organic label holds no clout, and may be an exaggeration or an outright lie.
The "free range" label might lead one to believe that the animals are treated kindly. While this may be true, it also may not. Labeling something "free range" is similar to labeling it "low-carb" in that, while the government regulated use of this label, it has not STRICTLY regulated this use. Theoretically, a company could let their egg hens out of their cages for 15 minutes a day--simply opening the doors to give these hens the "option" of ygetting out of the cage (even if the hen does not leave)--could allow the companies to use the label "free range."
Here is a great quote from a news article I found at the Washington Free Press regarding this issue:
"A chicken raised on 53 square inches of space is the corporate factory farm standard. That's far smaller than a standard sheet of copy paper. The United Eggs Producers have recently required increasing cage space for birds from 53 to 67 square inches over six years in order for farmers to achieve the "animal care certified" (ACC) label (Seattle P-I; 8/13/03). This label is so misleading that recently United Poultry Concerns (www.eggscam.com/traderjoes.php) convinced Trader Joe's to stop using it. The Humane Society of the United States has denounced the ACC label, alleging that the guidelines 'seem designed more to mollify consumers than to address the extreme animal welfare abuses that have become the norm.'"
Here is a good explaination from www.veganoutreach.org, complete with footnote links:
"The competition to produce inexpensive meat, eggs, and dairy products has led animal agribusiness to treat animals as objects and commodities. The worldwide trend is to replace small family farms with “factory farms”—large warehouses where animals are confined in crowded cages or pens or in restrictive stalls.1
Bernard Rollin, PhD, explains that it is “more economically efficient to put a greater number of birds into each cage, accepting lower productivity per bird but greater productivity per cage…individual animals may ‘produce,’ for example gain weight, in part because they are immobile, yet suffer because of the inability to move…Chickens are cheap, cages are expensive.”2"
There is an entire website, www.eggscam.com, dedicated to debunking free range and ACC (animal care certified) myths. You can check that site for some great information.
I searched the internet to try to find more info on Free Range and ACC eggs, and found a great editorial regarding "cruelty free" eggs, which you can read here: http://www.thevegetariansite.com/ed_eggs.htm
Finally, I do not agree with even free-range, free-roaming, or cage-free labeled eggs because this does not eliminate all levels of cruelty. Are the chickens de-beaked? In many cases, yes, they are. Trader Joes has a brand of eggs labeled "free roaming," (meaning, according to the parent company, that the hens have "some access" to the outdoors), yet admit that these same hens are debeaked "to protect them from themselves and each other." This would not be necessary if the company had not upset the pecking order in some way.
Furthermore, what happens if an egg is fertilized? What becomes of the chick? Often times, the female chicks become egg hens like their mothers, and the male chicks are ground up alive, sometimes being put back into the food that the chickens will eat. Also, many egg hens will become poultry hens (or "meat hens") after their egg production has begun to wan, which is normally after about 2 years. In this respect, my purchase of eggs--even if they're marked "free range"--has benefit the slaughter industry as well.
I guess I broke my promise of keeping this breif. ;-) Sorry!
I would like to stress, however, that some attempt at diminshing cruelty is better than no attempt at all. If a person has no intention of giving up eggs, but would like to help, I feel it is safe to argue that buying free-range eggs would have SOME--even if minimal--positive effect. I do not want to make free-range sound like it is not an option--for many, it is not only an option, but a good one at that.
I hope this helps clear up any questions you have. While they may not be an option for me, free-range eggs can be suitable for others, as long as they understand what free-range may and may not be, and that this label is no guarantee if kindness.
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