Breaking NewsSponsored by The Sullivan Auto Group
Subscribe: Home Delivery Special!
Animal rights group targets egg industry
By Jim Downing - jdowning@sacbee.com
Published 12:00 am PDT Tuesday, May 6, 2008
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A3
The animal-rights group Mercy For Animals plans to release a video today shot by an undercover worker at a Merced County egg barn that shows hens crammed into cages, suffering from open sores and being handled roughly and stepped on by workers.
The video is an early attempt to build voter support for a November ballot measure that would make California the first state to ban the sort of cages that house most laying hens.
Steve Gemperle, one of the owners of Gemperle Enterprises, whose barns are shown in the video, called the footage a politically motivated attack on the egg industry. "It's trying to discredit us," he said Monday. "My company doesn't tolerate the abuse of animals. Abused animals don't produce eggs."
Gemperle said his company sells eggs to NuCal Foods Inc., of Ripon, which packages eggs for many major area food retailers.
Nathan Runkle, executive director of Chicago-based Mercy For Animals, said the video aimed to "get Californians a glimpse behind the egg industry and show the inherent cruelty involved in battery cage facilities." Mercy For Animals, which has 16,000 members, advocates a vegan diet.
Runkle said his group will call on the Merced County district attorney to charge Gemperle Enterprises with neglect under state animal-cruelty law. Federal animal-welfare statutes do not apply to livestock, according to a U.S. Department of Agriculture spokesman.
Roughly 19 million egg-laying hens live in California. In a typical operation, eight birds share a 4-square-foot wire cage.
Animal behavior experts say this sort of housing stresses chickens by depriving them of three basic needs: a nest, a way to take a dust bath and a place to perch.
The November ballot initiative does not ban cages. It only requires that hens be allowed to fully extend their wings, which would force a shift to larger cages and lower hen densities or a switch to "cage-free" practices, in which thousands of hens share an open barn space.
Cage-free operations are designed to better meet hens' behavioral needs, but several studies have found they can lead to higher rates of mortality, illness and injury.
Gemperle's barns have been approved as humane under an egg-industry animal welfare program, according to a spokesman for United Egg Producers, a national industry group.
About the writer:
- Call The Bee's Jim Downing, (916) 321-1065.
Recommend this story at Yahoo! Buzz:
Unique content, exceptional value. SUBSCRIBE NOW!
Most Popular
More Stories in Politics
- Bush vows not to leave California stranded as firefighting costs strain budget
- Schwarzenegger, legislative leaders meet on budget
- Dan Walters: Study confirms that peripheral canal is central to solving Delta water problems
- California agency reviews slow response to data security breach
- Majority in poll rejects gay marriage ban
News |
Sports |
Business |
Politics |
Opinion |
Entertainment |
Lifestyle |
Travel |
Blogs |
Cars |
Homes |
Jobs |
Classifieds/Shopping
Privacy Policy | Terms of Use | Site Map | Advertise | Guide to The Bee | Bee Jobs | FAQs | RSS
Contact Us | e-edition | Subscribe | Manage Your Subscription | E-newsletters | Sacbeemail | Archives
sacbee.com | Sacramento.com | Capitol Alert | SacMomsClub.com | SacPaws.com | SacWineRegion.com
Copyright © The Sacramento Bee
2100 Q St. P.O. Box 15779 Sacramento, CA 95816 (916) 321-1000