WASHINGTON – The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), the nation's largest animal protection organization, is urging Neosho County, Kan. officials to reject a proposal to construct a facility that would house 2.6 million hens.
"Neosho County should not be misled into believing that this translates into a large number of jobs," The HSUS' Miyun Park wrote in a letter sent this week to County Commissioner Don Yarnell. "Since almost every aspect of egg factory farming is automated, most of the jobs such a facility will bring are low-skill with high turnover rates."
While the lack of a significant economic benefit should concern the county officials, the primary concern of The HSUS and animal protection advocates is the treatment of the hens who would be housed in the facility. Virtually all eggs produced in the United States come from industrialized farms housing hundreds of thousands—if not millions—of laying hens, none of whom sees the light of day. About 98 percent of the 300 million laying hens in the U.S. are confined in wire "battery cages" so restrictive the birds do not even have enough space to spread their wings. With no opportunity to engage in many of their natural behaviors, including nesting, dust bathing, perching, and foraging, these birds endure lives wrought with suffering.
The HSUS learned of the proposal by MoArk, LLC, one of the nation's egg producers, from an article in the Joplin Globe. According to Hoover's business database, MoArk is based in Chesterfield, Mo. and operates in 11 states. The company is "a top franchisee of Eggland's Best brand of eggs." Land O'Lakes, Inc. owns a 50 percent share of the privately-held company and is reportedly pursuing a growth strategy to expand operations in the U.S.
"Economic development is important to the survival of rural communities," said Park, a director in The HSUS' farm animals and sustainable agriculture department. "Massive egg factories do more harm than good when the true costs are tabulated. Reduced property values, a diminished quality of life, and health problems are part of the equation that won't likely be brought up by MoArk officials in their discussions with Neosho County. And they certainly won't discuss the suffering of the animals."
The HSUS points out that a recent offer by the Environmental Protection Agency allows factory farms to violate provisions of the Clean Air Act in exchange for voluntary participation in a two-year study to gather information on emissions. And two other communities have already rejected similiar proposals.
"Even the minimal protections provided by federal law are being whittled away," said Park.
Egg laying facilities typically consist of several buildings, each of which may be the length of a football field. Each building has row upon row of stacked wire cages, often as high as eight tiers.
To maximize the overall production of a building, as many hens as possible are packed into each cage, although this practice will soon be changing, if only slightly. Under pressure from animal advocates, the egg industry established a requirement that producers provide 67 square inches of space per bird by 2008 to gain the industry's "Animal Care Certified" program. This move, while a modest improvement, still provides less space than three-quarters of a letter-sized piece of paper per hen. The conditions are still cramped and barren, preventing the animal from expressing normal behaviors such as nesting and dustbathing, which are important to a hen's welfare. The Better Business Bureau has twice ruled that the Animal Care Certified logo is misleading to consumers.
The Humane Society of the United States is the nation's largest animal protection organization with more than 8.5 million members and constituents. The non-profit organization is a mainstream voice for animals, with active programs in companion animals and equine protection, disaster preparedness and response, wildlife and habitat protection, animals in research and farm animals and sustainable agriculture. The HSUS protects all animals through legislation, litigation, investigation, education, advocacy and fieldwork. The group is based in Washington and has numerous field representatives across the country.
