Posted on 06/20/2009 1:24:51 PM PDT by SmithL
After a bruising campaign last fall, Californians voted by a 27-point margin in favor of what was billed as an effective ban on cages for egg-laying hens.
The Humane Society of the United States, which sponsored the measure, may have won that battle. But the war over Proposition 2, it seems, is just getting started.
The egg industry says the proposition might allow it to use cages, and wants an interpretation from the state to support that idea. The Humane Society isn't budging. It says voters meant to enact a ban on cages, and that's what they should get.
Meanwhile, the fighting has moved to other fronts.
The society is backing Assembly Bill 1437, which would require all eggs sold in the state – not just those laid in the state – to comply with the ballot measure. And it has organized a sweeping class-action suit alleging massive price-fixing by egg farmers.
The University of California, hoping to insert itself as a peacemaker, formed a new animal welfare council last month. But at the same time, the university is being sued by the Humane Society over what the group says was an industry-biased analysis of Proposition 2 during the campaign.
While the Humane Society presses its advantage, the egg industry is seeking to find some leverage of its own in the language of the proposition.
While billed as a ban on the wire boxes that house most of California's egg-laying hens, Proposition 2 doesn't explicitly prohibit cages.
"It doesn't say anything is specifically allowed or prohibited," said Fiona Hutton, spokeswoman for the Association of California Egg Farmers.
Instead, it guarantees hens the space for some basic behaviors, including extending their wings – which average 28 inches, tip to tip – without touching another bird or the side of a cage.
(Excerpt) Read more at sacbee.com ...
What would a chicken say?
Who teaches these stupid people that birds have rights or animals for that matter?
If you can’t eat it or wear it who cares!
Factory farming is cruelty to animals. That’s why I am keeping my own chickens. Rather do that than buy cheap eggs that come at such a price. Nothing beats a farm fresh egg.
Frankly, my dear ... I don’t give a cluck.
California thinks all these things just grow on trees.
These animal rights operations are just a racket. They shake down politicians for grant money; the grant money goes to expand their operations and pay off the politicians in campaign contributions; and the campaign contributions induce the politicians to provide more grant money.
Their concern for animals is just a emotional lever to work their magic over people's wallet.
Soon they’ll be growing meat in vats and us peons won’t be allowed to have real meat.
That said, the Humane Society is a communist organization.
Our cousin is in the egg business in CA. and the industry is really pushing legislation that would require all eggs sold in CA. to meet these tough requirements. Thus eggs produced out of state would have to be grown under the same conditions as the in state producers.
They supported Obama so I guess you are right!
“A chicken in every pot”? I’ll raise my own, thank you.
I suspect that I am going to be in the minority here, but while animals don’t have rights, we are obliged to treat them in a humane manner. The more sentient and social the creature, the more the law has a role in prohibiting certain kinds of treatment.
Few of us would stand for eight chihuahuas being put in a 4 sq foot enclosure, and would support including such treatment under animal cruelty laws.
I hope most of us would be for laws prohibiting cock-fighting, which is abusive but not more abusive than not being able to sit or spread your limbs.
The folks in California have voted by a wide margin to set new standards. If they can’t stand higher prices for eggs, they can set it back again. The margin was large enough that it was just lefties and earth muffins supporting the proposition.
This is the kind of thing that SHOULD be addressed by statewide (as opposed to federal) law.
We buy our eggs from a local farmer for $2.50 a dozen. You can see the difference in the yolks, and you can certainly taste the difference. That’s a little more than the cost I would pay at the supermarket.
Good quality eggs remain perhaps the single best value in terms of nutrition, and are still a bargain at the rice we pay.
Chickens are pretty stupid animals, but if it is indecent to pick wings off of moths, its indecent to pack birds so tightly to save a few pennies.
Factory farming creates inferior products. The nutrition profile of backyard eggs is wildly superior to the factory type.
Plus, chickens are really rather entertaining to watch.
The Humane Society can go suck an egg.
Just let them all loose, as in Hawaii, where if you find an egg it’s yours to keep, and if you catch a chicken, it’s yours to eat! It could be against the law to “OWN” a chicken. They belong to everyone!
This is chickens^%&*. If they’re so opposed to how chickens are farmed, instead of telling everybody else how to farm them, they should simply vote with their mouths. I did. Anything else is half assed.
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