Deal Struck Between HSUS and Egg Producers
We are really excited as an industry about doing this. This is a thrilling moment for us in egg production.— United Egg Producers Chair, Bob Krouse
Signature gatherers and donors fooled again
There now appears to be a race to the bottom. And HSUS has just surpassed AHA in the enabling of animal exploiters.
The central provision of this deal would not even go into effect for another 18 years! (If ever.)
Of course, the industry gets what it wants right away.
• Immediately, the Washington and Oregon ballot measures are scrapped.
• Immediately, the industry gains positive publicity and avoids the negative PR of a ballot measure media campaign.
• Immediately, states would be explicitly prevented from outlawing cages — or doing anything to help laying hens beyond what the egg industry is happily adopting on the federal level.
Make no mistake. This is a frontal assault on state anti-cruelty laws and on the rights of citizens and state legislators to enact meaningfully protections — and within a reasonable time frame.
This deal would preempt state anti-cruelty laws as it pertains to the treatment of laying hens and would eliminate any chance of outlawing hen cages (or making other housing or husbandry reforms) in any state of the nation.
Keep in mind that once the federal legislative process is underway, there is no way of knowing — let alone controlling — what the final outcome will be. It’s all pie in the sky at this point. What, if any, enforcement will there be? The industry-controlled USDA? We already know what kind of job they do! What, if any, criminal penalties will there be? (Probably none.)
KEY ISSUE:
For literally decades, farm animals and humane organizations have been haunted by the fact that commercial slaughterhouses have been largely beyond the reach of state animal cruelty laws due to federal preemption.
Now, for the first time ever, the industry is seeking to extent the federal preemption doctrine into factory farms as well. And, incredibly, HSUS is all too willing to oblige.
Bradley Miller
The Humane Farming Association (HFA)
San Rafael, CA 94912
hfa.org
Post your comment
Comment Guidelines: We welcome your expressions of opinion on this subject. Please avoid false commentary about individuals or groups. Facts must be verified by the person posting. Off-topic comments, and comments inappropriate for a readership of all ages, may be deleted. E-mail addresses will never be published. Only comments with valid e-mail address will be published.
9 Comments
On July 11, 2011, Bob Orabona, Friends of Animals wrote:
Rather than put all its eggs in one basket, HSUS seems to have given them all to the egg producers for handling. Isn’t that the original cause of the problem? — the exploitation of chickens. When the fox is guarding the hen house, the outcome is guaranteed.
On July 11, 2011, missy moo wrote:
Why is anyone surprised by this ?
HSUS is an embarrassment. They use 9% of HSUS money goes to the animals,91% to their vips and ceos.
They spew propaganda to make anyone trying to expose them ,to discredit legit animal rights activists.
They must get kick backs for all of these industries.
They also would like to make certain breeds of animals illegal,and render pet owners,”care givers”,taking away owners rights to choose for its animal.
Its a joke. I stopped giving them money years ago .
Feh .
On July 11, 2011, OLGA PETROVA wrote:
I have more questions than comments. We should eliminate any demand for the product that was produced by torturing any farm animals. Is there anything that we - as concerned consumers, concerned animal lovers - could do to stop this outrage? Are there any farms whom we could trust, that the eggs they offer to the market are not only growth hormone, or antibiotics free, but also pain and suffering free? Where is it possible to obtain a list of the retailers, distributors of such products?
On July 12, 2011, Marcie J. Newman- Perskin wrote:
Really! Or are they just stroking us and to cover another disgusting animal injustice. There should be ordinary everyday animal lovers involved as well, just to make sure this isnt just lip-service. Marcie j Newman-Perskin
On July 12, 2011, Louis Gedo wrote:
What is even more dispicable is that groups like Farm Sanctuary are calling this detrimental (for hens) collaberation a “Victory.”. The pushing of “humane” farming and “humane” meat as the fix to the problem is what is being done. The more “humane” the killing, the better for the animals is their logic. With the sort of thinking that these leaders are expressing, the next logical step for them is to promote “Sanctuary Meat.” Shame on you Mr. Bauer, shame on you Mr Friedrich!
On July 12, 2011, marah wrote:
i heard that farm sanctuary was involved with this too…. is that true? i find that very hard to believe. i mean hsus i can understand, but if farm sanctuary was involved, why would they be ok with this? a very cursory reading of this and its obvious it is a ruse. please enlighten me about farm sanctuary involved or not and why ………. im confused about that.
On July 12, 2011, Geraldine Gauer wrote:
HSUS has the Money, Media Attention, and Power to Do Some Good Work. Instead they Fall Flat and are Conning the Public and Sincere , but Ignorant Animal Lovers. This Egg Law is Bogus.
Caged Hens Get their Cage Sizes Doubled in 18 Years . What a Waste of Time and Energy !
And Nothing is Being Done to Stop the Cruelty and Abuse of Wild Horses in Burros that are Rounded Up by Helicopters, Spayed and Neutered on the Range with No Anesthesia and Transported in Unsafe Double Decker Stock Trailers(after being crammed in like Sardines)
to Humane ? Holding facilities where they are mired in Manure, unable to Move, and then sent off to Mexico for a Tortured Death. Where is the HSUS when you Need them ????
On July 12, 2011, Toni wrote:
HSUS never ceases to amaze. Wayne (always ready for his close-up) Pacelle will literally do anything to get media attention, never missing an opportunity to depict himself and his fraud-ridden HSUS as the leaders/moral conscience of the humane movement. He partnered with Michael Vick for the press coverage and fundraising ops and this latest “monumental victory” is already being used to solicit funds, especially from very wealthy donors. Pacelle LOVES the backroom, secretive, cynical political dealmaking that even hack politicians have grown to despise. He loves himself most of all.
By the way, I’m a proud, longtime member of Humane Farming Association, Friends of Animals and Primarily Primates. I really admire Bradley Miller for speaking out against HSUS’s moral bankruptcy with this agreement and last year, after the secret Ohio-Ted Strickland-farm industy deal.
On July 14, 2011, Debbie wrote:
I live in Oregon and I was just sick about this. We had to give up our work to get cage laws on the ballot in Oregon and Washington thanks to this agreement. This is so wrong! Is it possible to still use the signatures raised and still move forward with the ballot measures? This agreement isn’t law.