Published Letters and Op-Eds from
COK’s Writers Group

Skip Inhumane Eggs

Re: "Gresham could work for specialty grocer" (Sept. 15). Unlike competitors Whole Foods and Wild Oats, which have adopted cage-free egg policies, Trader Joe's refuses to practice any humanity toward chickens languishing inside factory farms.

Males can't lay eggs, so are usually smothered or ground up, live, at birth. Females endure some of the most barbaric practices invented by modern animal agribusiness. Their tiny stacked cages deny them any semblance of natural life such as wing flapping or experiencing sunlight. To prevent hens from pecking each other out of frustration and overcrowding, parts of their beaks are routinely sliced off without painkiller. Noxious fumes from built-up waste, illness and death permeate the warehouses, and once their worn-out bodies stop producing eggs, they are slaughtered.

To end this abuse, don't support the industry -- use egg substitutes instead. For those intent on eating eggs, please ensure they originate from cage-free sources only.

Barb Lomow
Eugene