Monday, March 10, 2014

Poultry: No Paltry Matter, Egg-static about Egg-cellent Legislation

Most people have heard that “happy cows come from California” – but what about cheerful chickens? Thanks to recent legislation in the poultry industry, the Golden State is also home to lots of happy hens. In 2008, California voters enacted a new set of housing standards for the state’s egg-layers; because of this law, all hens must be able to stand up, lie down and extend their wings. These may seem like pretty meager demands, but they represent a revolution in animal welfare. As the head of California’s egg trade group explained to a reporter for the New York Times, “Hens in most other states don’t have it so good. Their conditions… are ‘like you sitting in an airplane seat in the economy section all your life.’”

 In essence, the legislation will eliminate California’s “battery” cages and allow the chickens approximately an extra 50 square inches of space. This increase will only add the cost of one extra penny to the price of an egg and potentially decrease the risk of fostering diseases, such as salmonella, amongst the chickens. Though the adjustments have already cost some egg-producing companies a few million dollars, it has been shown that “chickens treated in this more humane way tend to live longer and be more productive.” Producers may also be able to profit off the good publicity, as JW West & Companies has with its “Hens Live” video streaming on its website (though how comfortable a person is watching their next meal walk around probably isn’t exactly proportional to the comfort of the chickens).

California’s hens may rejoice, but the good fight for good eggs in California isn’t over yet. Legislation recently passed requiring that all eggs sold in the state of California – including those imported from other states – must meet California’s housing standards for hens; however, “the attorney general of Missouri, Chris Koster, has decided to sue to overturn the rule in federal court.”

Mr. Koster argues that the rules violate the commerce clause of the Constitution by imposing regulations on businesses in other states. But courts have long held that states can enact food, safety and other regulations in the public interest, as long as they do not discriminate against businesses in other states. California’s egg-production rules clearly meet the nondiscrimination standard, because all egg producers who want to sell their products in the state must abide by them.

The court must dismiss this case and stand by California’s movement towards more humane animal treatment. Other states, including Michigan, Washington and Oregon have instigated similar requirements and hopefully we will soon set a national standard. Across the globe, gains are being made: Australia and the European Union have recently banned battery cages.

As of January 1, 2015 (so long as Mr. Koster’s case is dismissed) all eggs bought in California can be eaten with a clean conscience – but until then, check your cartons to make sure the eggs were laid in state.


4 comments:

  1. As a Californian and a conservative even I can appreciate the forward progress that California makes in terms of food policy. I will submit this though - the more the state favors organic methods of food production, the more classist food consumption will become. What I am getting at is that the progressiveness of California frequently comes at the cost of benefiting the rich in the end and harming the poor. California could become the state where you can buy the healthiest food but it's the state where that food is not affordable to the poorest people. I think this is true for other things like environmental protection. It's nice for me to have all of those state parks because I can afford all of the gas that it takes to get there, but how does a poor person in LA benefit at all from this policy?

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  2. Its amazing how they can fervently oppose new regulations, without realizing it will probably benefit them in the long run. As for the prices going up I think it's a reasonable price to pay in order to decrease the chances of a salmonella outbreak. California may be out ahead of this now but hopefully soon many more states will follow and the price disparity won't be as stark between eggs produced here in California and across state lines. I don't believe just because you are poor you should have to settle for less healthier eggs. I believe this is a policy that will ultimately benefit all Californians.

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  3. "Their conditions… are ‘like you sitting in an airplane seat in the economy section all your life.’”
    I don't think that's accurate. Their conditions, even with the improved standards, are a lot worse. It's awesome to see progress made in the realm of animal rights, but 50 square inches, is not a lot more! Take a rule and measure out 7x7 inches, that's nothing!
    When it comes to the meat industry, people's baseline for acceptable standards, I think are just too low. I understand that progress is slow, but with the current standards as low as they are, it'll be a while until humane practice is the norm.

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  4. I'm very proud of California for being the first one to make such an amazing progress. It is not to say that it is the final goal, but it is definitely a step ahead. What does bad food (like eggs from sick chickens) do to us? It fills up our stomachs but in the long run destroys our health, immune system, etc. Now is it worth to pay more money for less amount of food that is more nutritious or is it better to buy cheaper food that satisfies your taste buds (which I can also argue about) that has little to no nutritious value? I pick the first. It is better to have meat or eggs once a week that actually tastes great and fits the needs of your body, than have it every day with no benefit to your health.
    I agree with the human being though, that even though the progress is there, it still not fast and efficient now. It is amazing that we make steps and take actions towards improvements, but it is not fast enough for a sufficient growth and development of these meat industries.

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