What really goes on in the egg industry?

Question

I've heard that free range isn't any better for the hens- is this true? What about organic milk? I'm trying to filter the truth from the propoganda. I want to know what really goes on.

Links would be appreciated. Thanks for any help! :)

Answer 1

You should buy milk that is just produced. If you have your own cow that will be the best choice. 4real

Answer 2

Hala gave a very good answer but even those minimal standards don't apply in the United States and perhaps Canada (something I have to look into now). Free Range simply means uncaged. However, according to the Humane Society of the United States that is a step up.

http://www.hsus.org/farm/camp/nbe/

http://www.hsus.org/farm/camp/nbe/compar...

Currently more than 95% of egg-laying hens are in battery cages:

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

But here are some pics of the realities of cage-free aka free range:

http://www.veganoutreach.org/freerange/

http://advocacy.britannica.com/blog/advo...

http://metaphorical.files.wordpress.com/...

http://www.tribeofheart.org/images-event...

And of course for egg-laying there is no use for the males who are discarded:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bkuohLV2u...

While the girls are lucky to be kept around for a second season before becoming pot-pies or something that will hide all the bruising they'll have. Fortunately, McDonald's was persuaded to refuse eggs from operations that practice forced molting which is up to 14 days without food, water and light to shock the hen into upping laying production and bigger eggs after her first season. Unfortunately that has meant that the girls are not even kept anymore for a second season (which given the conditions may be a blessing for them...):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Forced_molt...

Here is a primer on egg labels in the US:

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/pubs/...

Organic means a few other things mostly regarding diet which can be a substantial thing considering the muck they get given which can include rendered cow (mostly brains, spinal materials, bone meal, etc and chicken litter is then in turn fed back to cows...). Organic are not given antibiotics and arsenic as a matter of course. Organic also means they need to be uncaged and have access to the outdoors which usually means a door they don't understand to an outside area that has nothing (it's not the pastoral ideas we get in our heads when we think of access to the outdoors).

http://www.sustainabletable.org/issues/f...

Certified Humane is a program of the Humane Society and it is actually a third-party program with inspections and some minimal treatment standards:

http://www.certifiedhumane.com/

Here is more from HSUS:

http://www.hsus.org/farm/

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/anima...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

Here is a quote from the last link that I find telling:

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Equating productivity with good welfare is not a scientifically grounded theory. Productivity is often measured at the group level, which does not accurately reflect individual welfare. For example, if individual hens are crowded to the point that their individual rates of lay decline, the productivity of the entire house will still improve as there are more hens laying eggs.

====

So, no a hen or cow does not need to be treated well to produce.

Here's a revealing post on the marketing on egg cartons

http://www.ethicurean.com/2006/05/18/jud...

And here's an interesting article from The Guardian on boiler chicken lives:

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/food...

Regarding the dairy industry HSUS has these links to explore:

http://www.hsus.org/farm/

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/anima...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/mi...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/news/ournews/ma...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

http://www.hsus.org/farm/resources/resea...

Organic can be quite a bit better with dairy. Organic Valley especially is known for supporting small herds of less than a 100 cows. Horizon (owned by Dean Foods which controls more than a third of all fluid milk in the US with more than 50 brands and store brands and also does Silk soy milk) is a borderline organization. Being a corporation its only allegiance is to the stockholder at the expense of livestock. But, at least it has banned cloned animals which is important given their size (but consumer outrage was at play there). To be sure, there are many small herds in the Horizon empire but Horizon is also guilty of big "farms" in the desert where the girls have to be transported to a pasture (as proscribed by organic standards) and often aren't until they go off season. They are under the gun by a watchdog group called the Cornucopia Institute which has successfully shut down a couple even worse "organic" operations.

http://www.cornucopia.org/

http://smallfarms.typepad.com/small_farm...

http://www.familyfarmdefenders.org/pmwik...

Cornucopia even have a scorecard which is very handy:

http://www.cornucopia.org/dairysurvey/in...

But, even then, organic is better than the alternative of 10,000 plus cow farms, increasingly in the desert with trucked in foods. And organic has been proved to be more nutritious/less harmful nutritionally.

http://lifeandhealth.guardian.co.uk/ethi...

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/415395...

Answer 3

The best thing you can do to really satisfy your curiosity is to look on the packaging of the eggs or milk or whatever product it may be. Contact the company listed for the closest facility the have near you and take a tour.

You would be impressed at what you see compared to what you hear.

Good luck in you research. Keep the eyes and mind open.

Answer 4

When it comes to "free range" eggs consumers must still be wary for a number of reasons. One main reason is that even the standards regulating the free range industry allow significant cruelty. Practices such as debeaking are still permitted under Range Care Standards. Also "spent" hens still end up in the slaughterhouse regardless of whether they were free range or battery hens. And all male chicks are still killed soon after hatching. So many of the cruel practices of the battery system are still practiced in the free range egg farming industry too.

Another reason for consumer conciousness is the lack of a uniform labelling system. Many companies try to decieve consumers by misleading labelling or unclear terms and even simply using small fonts and unclear text. Some companies have even been known to substitute barn or battery eggs for free range. Of course this is not allowed but it does happen.

That being said though, there can be a significant improvement. The guidlines do not allow practices such as toe trimming, ensure birds must be vaccinated, have access to open space, cannot be force moulted, and all farms must be audited. Stocking desities are also limited and birds must be provided with nest boxes.

So clearly any improvement is better than no improvements at all. I'm sure the free range hens appreciate the opens space and nest boxes alot more than barren wire cages.

The Australian standards can be found here. I think the UK has similar free range standards. http://www.frepa.com.au/standards-pf.htm...

Regarding "conventional" battery farms. Egg laying hens are tortured, debeaked, force moulted, crammed with between 4 and 12 other birds, stacked in crates, thrown, covered in one another’s excrement, suffer from painful cuts and lacerations due to sharp wire cages, male chicks are killed and considered an industry waste product, they have less than an A4 piece of paper in which to live, they never see the light of day, and are never allowed to exhibit natural behaviour.

(battery hens living conditions)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H4_R5sGHI...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HP8Q7ZN1I...

I don't know much about the free range milk industry though. Sorry.

Answer 5

I don't think there is much of a difference other than a name that makes people feel better about themselves.

http://www.petatv.com/

Answer 6

no ones lived to tell about it :P

Answer 7

What goes on is that the hens lay eggs until they quit and then they are made into soup.  The eggs are sold at a premium to those willing to pay the price.