Animal Welfare Approved

Prev Next

Cage Free: More Complicated Than You Think

August 12, 2008 on 4:59 pm | By Animal Welfare Approved in Uncategorized 2 Comments

Part of the objective of our blog is to encourage educated discussion about farm animal welfare. Here are three recent articles that discuss California’s Proposition 2, and some of the issues surrounding it. One article by David Sneed summarizes the debate and its political implications. Another article in the Arizona Republic describes cage free vs. confined, and another in the New York Times speaks to the increasing demand for eggs from cage-free production systems.

A “proposition” that is often left out of the issue, however, is the possibility of many smaller, pasture-based farms. More and more consumers and farmers are learning about the environmental and health benefits of eggs from hens on pasture. Feel free to comment on the articles above, or suggest one for further reading!


RSS Facebook ReTweet Animal Welfare Approved on Twitter Animal Welfare Approved on My Space SocialTwist Tell-a-Friend

Prev Next

2 Comments

RSS feed for comments on this post. TrackBack URI

  1. Great articles, thanks for the information. I didn’t realize that cage-free eggs could come from barns without outdoor access. The trend towards cage-free may be a “step in the right direction,” but I’m still going to by pastured eggs from my local farmer. I enjoyed the different viewpoints though.

    Comment by Jane — August 19, 2008 #

  2. Thanks for getting the information out to people. I own two flocks of heritage free range chickens and do my job to the highest standards as I take pride in my work and product. I am also dedicated to the preservation of heritage breeds of chickens which our ancestors raised centuries ago. Many of these breeds are now endangered due to the fact that they don’t lay as many eggs per year as newer crosses and strains of chickens that are egg laying machines much to the detriment of their own health. Honestly how much nutrition can come from something like that? I sell directly to the consumer at farmers markets, a local gourmet grocery store, and restaurants. Some people complain at the cost of free range eggs and have no idea that it is more difficult and costly for the farmer to produce eggs this way. Very few people understand that cage free DOES NOT mean that the chickens have access to the outdoors. Some people just assume that since they are cage free that they have a “normal” life with respect to daily activities, social groups, which is almost impossible if they are crammed tightly into one area with little space and no access to outdoors. Also there seems to be an association of the phrase “cage free” with the other terms of “organic”, “humanely raised” and “free range”, which is a product of the way they are marketed by big business and absolutely false. More publicized information and education is still necessary for the public to learn exactly what they are buying. Once they know the truth they will make the best choice which is humanely raised free range of course!

    Comment by choppertai — September 10, 2008 #

Leave a comment





1007 Queen Street | Alexandria, VA 22314 | Tel: 202-546-5292 (5AWA) | Fax: 202-446-2151
© 2008 Animal Welfare Approved. All rights reserved.