Yesterday’s Oprah Winfrey Show probed “What Happens If Proposition 2 Passes?”
California’s voters will decide November 4 whether to adopt Prop. 2, which sets basic requirements for farm animal confinement. Simply, egg-laying hens, calves raised for veal and nursing pig sows would be able to turn around within their cages or pens.
Because of their greater numbers, large egg farms will feel the most impact from this law, which is why the Oprah show featured, among others, egg farmer Ryan Armstrong and Wayne Pacelle, president of the Humane Society of the United States.
Intended to prevent animal cruelty, Proposition 2 also promises to reduce the impact from these factory farms on California’s air and water. By reducing the number of animals confined in a space, farmers also will lessen the amount of nitrates that escape to pollute our water. Large egg farms can produce hundreds of thousands of pounds of nitrate-containing waste each year, according to California Environmental Protection Agency analyses.
Less-cruel caging will help reduce this waste in our water, while increasing our confidence in California-grown products. It also will help family farmers compete with the bigger factories, preserving a way of life as it benefits the quality of life for California’s livestock.
chicken in cage photo courtesy mercyforanimals.org
Watch this graphic video investigating the treatment of hens at one Northern CA egg ranch (CAUTION: May be unsuitable for young children)
Read an article about Proposition 2 from The California Aggie, a college newspaper
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Oprah Wades Into Prop. 2 Debate
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
The Humanity! The Humanity!
Recently, Sierra Club California elected to support The Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, a measure for the November ballot. This Humane Society-backed initiative would set minimum standards for the way California treats its farm-raised animals.
Essentially, farm animals would be able to stand up, turn around and fully extend their limbs. This will most benefit California’s approximately 19 million egg-laying chickens (statistics from CDFA).
As you can read in more detail in the Humane Society’s blog, the way some factory farms keep their animals has definite quality-of-life implications. I don’t think anyone would confuse putting chickens in cramped “battery cages” that don’t let them spread their wings, with sustainable farming.
Factory farms also directly impact California’s watersheds. When housed in the tight quarters of “animal feeding operations,” or factory farms, chickens produce more waste than they would if raised more sustainably. Lower-impact farming practices, on the other hand, produce lower concentrations of nitrates, ammonias and other compounds that pollute our groundwater and soil.
It might cost a little more “chicken feed” to provide California’s farm animals with basic improvements, but Sierra Club California is certain it will lead to less pollution and more sustainable farming.
See for yourself: This graphic Youtube video shows what life is like for chickens at a California egg farm (CAUTION: images of cruelty best viewed by mature audiences).
Read what Sierra Club has to say about humane husbandry
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