Major Victories in Ohio for Egg-Laying Hens |
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May 25, 2006
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With nearly 28 million laying hens, Ohio ranks as the nation's second-largest egg-producing state. But now, thanks to the state's largest university and one of its largest catering companies, thousands of hens will not have to suffer in the wire confines of their tiny, restrictive battery cages.
Thanks to the involvement of concerned students, faculty, and dining service administrators at Ohio State University, the school has chosen to reduce its use of eggs from caged birds by half. The university uses approximately 1.8 million eggs per year, meaning it will now use 900,000 fewer battery eggs annually. Students will be able to see the change in many of its 20 Campus Dining Services locations—traditional dining commons, restaurants, cafes, and food carts.
Laura Dilley, a post-doctoral researcher in psychology at OSU, was the leading advocate for cage-free eggs at the university. Dr. Dilley approached those in charge of Campus Dining Services, who were as excited as she was about making the socially responsible decision to move away from battery cage eggs.
"I'm thrilled that dining officials were so responsive to student and faculty interest in moving toward cage-free eggs," she said. "This move will help improve the lives of thousands of animals."
Students were also involved in the process, noted Thomas Stevenson, senior director of Campus Dining Services at OSU. "We were approached by several students about switching egg purchases to a cage-free supplier. When we looked into it, we were pleased to find that we could make the switch and still keep our food prices competitive."
And not only has OSU implemented its cage-free egg policy, but one of the state's largest caterers has as well. Columbus-based MFS Events is eliminating its use of eggs from caged birds. The award-winning company caters approximately 3,200 events each year, using more than half a million eggs annually. Larry Clark, CEO and president, explained, "Public awareness of animal abuse and the ways in which egg-laying hens are treated have given us a compelling reason to appeal to our clients' animal welfare concerns and gain a competitive advantage."
The two institutions join nearly 90 other schools and several major companies in moving away from eggs from caged hens. Not only have other Midwestern schools such as University of Iowa and University of Wisconsin-Madison implemented policies to eliminate or reduce their use of battery-cage eggs, but companies across the country, including Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural Marketplace, have done so as well. Even AOL and Google are switching to cage-free eggs in employee dining facilities.
"OSU's and MFS Events' cage-free egg policies demonstrate just how quickly battery-cage confinement is becoming a thing of the past, and we encourage other schools and companies to follow their positive example," said Paul Shapiro, Factory Farming Campaign director for The HSUS.
See the Video
Battery-Cage Eggs
Related Links
The HSUS's Campaign to Ban Battery Cages
Cage-Free Campus
UW-Madison Moves the Ball Forward for Laying Hens
