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| Sarah Swingle of The Humane Society of the United States wants to outlaw battery cages in Rhode Island. She presented a battery cage with eight fake hens at a recent Statehouse hearing. (Tim Faulkner/ecoRI News) |
PROVIDENCE — Little Rhody Farms is Rhode Island’s biggest egg producer. It’s also the state’s only farm using cages that animal rights activists want outlawed.
The wire containers, called battery cages, are about the size of a
microwave oven and typically confine up to 10 hens for their entire lives, or
about two years. After which, the hens produce fewer eggs and are slaughtered
for their meat.
The Humane Society of the United States said
the cages are cruel and increase the spread of harmful bacteria such as
salmonella. Hens lack space to spread their wings and regularly suffer broken
bones in these cages, according to The Humane Society.
“It’s very cruel and the animals are not offered an opportunity to
engage in any natural behavior like foraging or perching,” Sarah Swingle,
public policy coordinator for The Humane Society, said during an April 2 House
Committee on the Environment and Natural Resources hearing on a bill to restrict
the use of such cages.
Al Bettencourt of the Rhode Island Farm Bureau countered,
arguing that the ban would be bad for the economy.
“This state has got a reputation as not being very friendly to
business. Here you are again talking about regulation,” he said. “Let’s stop
regulating business.”
Holding a carton of cage-free eggs, Bettencourt noted that consumer demand should be the sole force driving egg producers to change their ways.
“If more people went out and bought cage-free eggs, then the
farmers are going to meet the demand ... and they’re are going to raise
cage-free chickens,” he said.
The European Union, Michigan, Oregon and Washington state have
restrictions on cages used in egg production. California banned battery cages
in 2008 through a voter referendum. The law didn’t take full effect until
January. Bettencourt claimed the change has decreased egg production by 20
percent and increased the price by 35 percent.
Numerous media reports suggest that the price increase is because
farmers in California reduced the number of chickens per cage rather than
switching to larger cages. Other reports placed he blame on higher egg demand
and low production nationally because of bad weather.
A provision to set national standards for battery cages was
stripped from the 2014 farm bill.
The cage-free movement, however, has prompted some food
businesses, such as Burger King, Subway and Unilever, to make the switch to
cage-free eggs.
A recent survey conducted in Rhode Island by the Remington
Research Group showed that 70 percent of respondents favored a law for larger
cages. Sixteen Rhode Island egg producers also signed on in support of the
legislation.
Cage free, it should be noted, doesn’t mean the hens aren’t
confined. They typically are housed in barn-type structures, but not in cages.
Free range isn’t an official designation for egg production and therefore not
monitored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), but it is implies the
chickens spend some time in the outdoors, typically in a coop with open-air
access.
The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM)
testified against the legislation.
“It’s not a strong opposition,” state veterinarian Scott Marshall
told ecoRI News.
He explained that a livestock advisory committee he chairs
investigated the battery-cage issue last year and decided to increase the space
per chicken from 85 square inches to 166. Little Rhody Farms, however, was
granted grandfathered status until 2021.
Marshall said battery cages have the benefit of constant food and
water. Animal waste is removed immediately by conveyer belts, which reduces the
risk of harmful bacteria. Chickens also lay more eggs in battery cages, he
said. But he also noted that confinement likely creates stress on the hens.
“There are very compelling arguments on both sides. I wish it was
more clear,” he said.
Eli Berkowitz, owner of Little
Rhody Farms, told ecoRI News he has studied the issue for years and
determined that the cages are more sanitary than large backyard flocks.
“There are pros and cons,” he said. “I understand that concern.
But I use scientific research. I want my birds to be healthy and happy and to
produce eggs.”
Switching to larger cages for his 44,000 hens, he said, would
cripple his business.
Battery cages are used by most of the industry. Berkowitz believes
his business is being singled out because it’s the only farm in the state using
battery cages, making it easier for the Humane Society to score a victory.
The 40-acre farm in Foster started in 1954 and sells eggs
wholesale to grocery stores, universities and restaurants. Rhode Island has
about 50 commercial egg producers, according to state officials.
“I try to do what I think this is the best,” Berkowitz said.
“Nobody in this industry is trying to harm animals.”
The bill doesn’t outlaw cages specifically, but does add chickens
used for egg production to the list of animals protected from severe
confinement as stated in a 2012 law. The bill was held for further study.