In the News
US egg farm videos depict abuse
17 April 2010
TWO of the United State's largest commercial egg producers were caught on secretly taped video released last week showing egregious abuse of animals in their hen houses.
The videos were recorded by an investigator for The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) who took employment with the companies to work in the houses and documented the abuse at four farms in Iowa - one owned by Rembrandt Enterprises Inc. and three owned by Rose Acre Farms Inc.
Rembrandt issued a statement that it already is beginning its own internal investigation and is bringing in an independent, third-party expert to audit its animal welfare program.
The United Egg Producers (UEP) said it will dispatch its own investigative team to Rose Acre in line with the "UEP Certified" animal welfare program that calls for such an investigation when there are allegations of program violations.
Rose Acre, the second-largest egg producer in the US, is a UEP Certified company, but Rembrandt is not. HSUS identified Rembrandt as the third-largest producer, although Feedstuffs data show that the company and two other producers have about an equal number of hens in production.
'Miserable lives'
The video was released at an HSUS news conference in Des Moines, Iowa, at which HSUS chief executive officer and president Wayne Pacelle called for an end to cage housing systems such as those in the video and suggested that they be replaced by cage-free production, which he said is "doable" even in large-scale systems and is demanded by an increasing number of the industry's foodservice and retail customers.
Every study done has found that consumers care about how livestock and poultry are raised and want animals to be humanely treated, Pacelle said.
However, livestock and poultry producers operate in "a totally deregulated environment" and can handle their animals in whatever manner they want, humane or otherwise, he said, noting that the various industries say they follow animal welfare at the highest levels.
Because of this, he said HSUS has conducted numerous investigations, like at Rembrandt and Rose Acre, "to validate or invalidate" what producers say, "but everywhere we've looked, we find" animal abuse of one degree or another.
"There is a disconnect between reality and rhetoric."
Pacelle then ran the video, which captured everything from cruel, extremely rough handling of birds to trapped birds that couldn't reach food or water to manure pits that were left untreated to uterine prolapse.
"Every aspect of their lives is miserable," he said. "This is not acceptable for a society that values animal welfare."
The video was available last week at the HSUS website.
Pacelle blamed the situation on large-scale systems that house hundreds of thousands of birds in one building and are so automated that few workers are in the buildings and for little time.
The HSUS "argument" is not malice toward hen house workers or even supervisors, but "our argument is that these systems are inherently inhumane", he said.
Indeed, Pacelle noted that many producers run cage-free houses side by side with cage systems. He said HSUS is urging consumers to buy only cage-free eggs and to "talk with retailers" to stock only cage-free eggs, both shell and liquid eggs.
"We also are calling on (egg producers) to change their way and shed these systems," Pacelle said.
Top priority
In its statement, Rembrandt noted that its "number-one priority" is the care and safety of birds and employees and referred to "well-defined policies and procedures" regarding animal welfare that include daily monitoring, regular training and zero tolerance for violations.
Accordingly, the company said it has initiated an internal investigation of the situation depicted in the video, adding, though, that "it would have been most beneficial" if HSUS had come "directly to us" immediately after finding the alleged violations.
Rembrandt said should any of those violations be confirmed, the employee or employees involved will be disciplined and possibly will face termination.
The company said the independent audits will be conducted to determine if appropriate animal welfare practices are in place. It said its animal welfare program was developed by animal welfare experts in the industry.
Rembrandt, headquartered in Rembrandt, Iowa, has about 12 million hens in production after doubling its size in its acquisition of Golden Oval Eggs LLC last year.
Rose Acre, headquartered in Seymour, Ind., has about 21.6 million hens in production. The company did not comment on the HSUS video.
In its statement, UEP said UEP Certified "does not tolerate animal cruelty, intentional abuse or neglect," and violations of the program can lead to disciplinary action against employees, including termination, and decertification of the company.
UEP said its investigation may include interviews with management and workers, its own on-site inspection and reviews of any photographs, videos or other materials related to the incident. The investigative team also could issue a report concerning the investigation and company and/or team statements.
UEP Certified, adopted 10 years ago, sets standards for hen care and well-being that were developed by an independent committee of animal ethicists and scientists.
The standards surround hen space, access to feed and water, air quality, house lighting, beak trimming, molting without feed or water withdrawal, hen handling and transportation. Producers are required to undergo annual, third-party audits to demonstrate compliance to receive certification.
UEP Certified has separate standards for cage and cage-free housing systems, and about 82pc of the US flock is covered by certified producers.
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