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

Group Fighting for Chickens’ Treatment

In his Aug. 23 letter, “Following rules makes sense for egg farmers,” Paul Sauder failed to mention that while more than 80 percent of egg producers in the U.S. participate in the United Egg Producers’ voluntary certification program, Esbenshade Farms, which is the subject of a pending criminal case of animal cruelty, does not.

The UEP program sets forth the absolute barest of minimum guidelines for laying-hen husbandry. And even though these guidelines still permit a wide variety of abuses, the fact that Esbenshade Farms will not even agree to follow them demonstrates how little it cares about the welfare of its hens.

Regardless of certification status, the hard-boiled truth is that nearly 300 million egg-laying hens spend their lives confined inside wire cages so restrictive, they can barely even move. See for yourself at http://www.EggIndustry.com.

Erica Meier
executive director
Compassion Over Killing
Washington, D.C.