Animal Person
Undercover "Free-Range" Egg Video

Now let me get this straight: They're not in cages, therefore . . .

Thanks to Roger for directing me to an expose on "cage-free" and "free-range" eggs with the RSPCA's Freedom Food label. In March of 2007, I wrote a post for supervegan.com ("Freedom Food Outed in the UK") about the neglect of pigs, turkeys and ducks who were supposedly "raised to higher welfare standards," according to chef Jamie Oliver (and the Freedom Food site), but this video demonstrates that laying hens aren't any better off than the animals in last year's undercover video.

Not only is the British public misled about the welfare of the animals they are paying someone to slaughter, but they're also paying a premium to be misled. Oh, and one of their favorite celebrity chefs, who gassed day-old chicks on his show in order to reveal the truth about what happens to the males in the egg industry (and who at no point objects to that practice), is one of their top spokespeople.

Check out the article and slideshow that accompany the video, and the next time someone tells you they care about chickens and pay extra to prove how much they care, sent them to this expose, Cage Free Eggs: Behind the Myth, or "Can you tell the difference?"

I'm sure that most consumers (and most vegetarians), are unaware that male chicks are killed and that eliminating cages doesn't result in a great life for hens. And I'm not sure whether vegetarians, who still eat eggs and dairy because they think no one got hurt or died for them, are thinking things through. I was one of them, and I'm not mocking them; I'm simply making an observation. What did I think was going to happen to the hens? Did I think they'd live their lives out, with veterinary care if needed, even after they were no longer able to produce eggs? What was I thinking?

Well, considering how much cogitating my obsessive mind does, and the fact that I nevertheless failed to think the egg situation through to its logical end, I can easily see how the average person--and even the average vegetarian--neglects several significant issues. It's up to us, then, to inform them as well as help them see what's in front of them that they're not seeing (e.g., all of the animals will be killed). I'm not sure what the ethos of today's vegetarian is, but if it has anything to do with harm without necessity or killing without necessity, I think it's safe to say that eggs should be off their list.