95% Decrease in Egg Production; California

Would you be able to spend 95% of your lifetime in a closet with seven other people?

In California, let alone the United States, chickens live in a small cage for approximately 95% of their lives with 6-8 other chickens. Proposition 2, or in other words, "The Standards for Confining Farm Animals," prohibits "the confinement of farm animals in a manner that does not allow them to turn around freely, lie down, stand up, and fully extend their limbs."

Although animal morality is a touchy subject, can we afford it?

The biggest issues conforming to proposition 2 are as followed:

 

Supporting arguments

• Prop 2 prevents cruelty to animals, since it is simply wrong to confine animals in tiny cages barely large enough for their bodies. To emphasize this argument, supporters of Prop 2 released a video on October 14 that according to the Los Angeles Times shows "egg-laying hens crammed into filthy cages, while, nearby, discarded birds are left to die in piles of corpses."^[12]
• Prop 2 improves our health and food safety by requiring better conditions for animals.
• Prop 2 supports family farmers, who are driven out of business when factory farms cut corners and put profits ahead of animal welfare and our health.
• Prop 2 protects air and water and safeguards the environment.
• The price of cage-free eggs will go down.^[13]

Opposing arguments

• If it passes, egg supply will go down and egg prices will go up.
• If chickens are not in cages, they are more vulnerable to attacks by predators, including other chickens;
• If egg companies don't want to deal with the new regulations, they can move to other states or Mexico, taking their benefits to local economies with them.^[8]
• According to a study put out by the University of California-Davis, if Prop 2 passes, it is likely that it would force the state's $300 million egg industry to move out of the state or out of business entirely.
• The cost of producing eggs would increase by 20% or more.
• The egg business would have to invest about $500 million on new ways to house chickens.^[26]
• Consumers would buy trucked-in eggs from other states and Mexico which would be more exposed to salmonella, and the hens more vulnerable to bird flu.^[27]
• According to the National Taxpayers Union, Proposition 2 would place additional regulations on how livestock owners must handle their farm animals, which could increase food costs.^[28]

According to studies made my a Californian University, It is said the price of an egg will increase "76%" by "2015" if Prop 2 passes. Also, with an approximate 3600 people working in the labor field of Chicken care, it too would increase if they were allowed to roam freely, allowing a more increase in price.

The dream of California as being a "free" state definitely does not apply itself to every inhabitant of California; as shown by Proposition 2. Although Chickens moving around freely is a step towards equality in animal morality for animals themselves, Can we as humans afford it? Even if we could, would we want to?

Comments

[Jessica Campos]

I think the humane treatment of any animal should come before money. There are many things out there more expensive than eggs that are unessasary but people buy them like diet pills that don't work, just go running. If it costs more to buy eggs so living animals can not suffer so be it, other wise people have some pretty screwed up priorities.