I would like to first start off this post by responding to a comment regarding last week's post. I am quite sure the poster, Sunny Badger, was only meaning to provoke thought with his comment; anyone can see that the point is not one chicken's waste, but it is the cumulative effect over time that makes a difference. One raindrop is will not create a storm, and one snowflake does not make a blizzard--it is the compound effect of every raindrop and snowflake that create a devastating storm.
Now, for this week's topic, I would like to address the conditions that factory workers are subject to. I know that some of the more jaded readers will say, "Well, they are uneducated immigrants who may not even be here legally, so what do they expect?" But let me counter that with the fact that we have an abundance of fruits and vegetables at very reasonable costs due to the hard, back-breaking work of these people. Does it matter that they are not here legally? I do not think that anyone deserves the treatment these people receive.
Last week's blog topic discussed Factory Farming's role in contributing to the pollution of Ohio's waterways. This week, I will address the specific pollution problems with Ohio's large egg farms.
I was unaware of these interesting facts according to Earthsave International:
- It takes 63 gallons of water to produce one egg.
- One million hen complex produces 125 tons of wet manure a day
I think everyone should take a look at the Environmental Organizers' Network website and check out the facts and pictures of egg farms. I have one photo that is quite disturbing;
WARNING: THOSE WITH SENSITIVE STOMACHS OR EATING DO NOT LOOK:
One major offender is "Buckeye Egg Farms" which is now dba as "Ohio Fresh Eggs LLC." Okay, right there the LLC tells you something--for all those paying attention in class, an LLC offers great protection for a business, but not so much for the people who are hurt by its actions.
Buckeye Egg Farms has a long history of pollution problems. Take a look at this egg farm's history in this fact sheet from the Farm Sanctuary. It is also interesting to note that the farm also had animal cruelty, food safety, and worker safety violations.
Now we have another large factory egg farm that is almost a sure bet to be approved. Check out this Columbus Dispatch Article on Hi-Q Eggs. I don't know about you, but I don't believe it is wise to give a 6-million chicken farm a chance to further pollute Bokes Creek.
As I said before, I don't eat eggs at all. The site and smell of someone carrying scrambled eggs from the cafeteria makes me nauseous, and although one of my favorite old movies is Cool Hand Luke, I can't stand to watch the egg-eating scene. I don't eat eggs, but I was repulsed by the pictures of manure at the large egg factories; so I wonder what those of you who do eat eggs feel about these images? Please post your comments!
This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business, or personal advice
This summer the quick demise of Grand Lake St. Mary's was troubling to not only those who use the lake for recreation but for the townsfolk who make a living from the lake's tourism. It seemed that everyone had a theory on what caused the toxic algae, but no one can dispute that one cause was the farm fertilizer and manure run-off.
The Dayton Daily News' article "Toxic Soup Feeds Blue-Green Algae" (last Monday), explained the reason for the big lake's water woes: "To know the problem of farm runoff polluting Ohio's waterways is to know the fertilizers. In Grand Lake St. Mary's, the sources are nitrogen and phosphorus, which are found in manure and commercial fertilizers used to help grow crops, including corn, soybeans and wheat." For more information, check out the Dayton Daily News Coverage on this issue. The paper did some great investigative and informative reporting in this series.
Now some of you will wonder, as I did, what about the EPA's role in stemming the flow of farm run-off into our waterways? Well, as I learned from the article, the problem is that the 1972 Clean Water Act focuses mostly on factory pollution. Well, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that factories aren't the problem in Mercer County. Compounding the problem is the fact that animal waste is hard to track.
It is troubling to note that with the increase of factory farms, our watersheds are in peril unless we find a way to curtail the farm run-off. If you'd like to read more, I suggest you take a look at the Forum National Trust for Historic Preservation's article.
Back in the 70's, I remember my ecology teacher telling the class that his generation had almost killed Lake Erie. He warned the class that as the future generation (hey, don't laugh, back then we were) we needed to ensure this did not happen in our future. Well, I hate to say it, but it appears we repeated the same mistake on another lake!
What do you think about this problem? Do you think there is another factor causing the pollution at the lake? Readers, please post your comments.
This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business, or personal advice
This week I can't come up with a catchy by-line to the subject of Animal Cruelty because there is just nothing funny about it--period.
Does anyone remember the pastoral images of Bob Evans' Ohio farm commercials? Well, today it seems the reality is far from that as per Ohioans for Humane Farms, Ohio is ranked as one of the worst states in providing protection for animals and has historically had some of the weakest animal welfare laws in the nation.
Okay, before you read the next paragraph I will have to issue a WARNING that the next paragraph contains some particularly disturbing descriptions of animal treatment in Ohio.
This excerpt was taken from the Ohioans for Humane Farm's website:
"In Ohio, a factory farmer was videotaped killing sick pigs by hanging them execution-style from a tractor, leaving them to writhe in the air for minutes on end. He was acquitted of cruelty for the hangings, a verdict Ohio’s agribusiness community hailed as a “huge victory,” because Ohio has no law specifically requiring humane farm animal euthanasia method."
I realize that some will people believe that since we are going to kill them anyway, what does it matter how the killing is done? Well, I have to say there are many people who would be shocked to find how inhumane the killing methods can be. In Ohio, we argue for humane execution of death-row inmates, so why don't we show that same compassion and respect for an animal that provides sustenance for humans?
In last week's post, Assault Hen Battery, I provided resources which showed a link between battery cage hens and salmonella outbreaks. Here is more information on that link from Ohioans for Humane Farm's abstract on The Food Safety Benefits of Ohio's Proposed Farm Animal Welfare Ballot Measure; make sure to go to the heading "Egg borne Salmonella."
I would like to dedicate this post to my mother, Dorothea C. Salerno. She has been a dedicated animal rights activist for the last 30 years, and she never let anyone tell a racist joke in her presence. My mother has taught me it is important to stand up for what you believe in no matter what the consequence or no matter how controversial the subject matter may be.
This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business, or personal advice.
Here are some interesting facts from The Center for Food Safety:
The number of Americans sickened from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: More than 650,000
The number of Americans killed from eating Salmonella-tainted eggs every year: 600
The question of whether or not factory farming has contributed to salmonella is not a solid link per se, but most of the factory farms use cage systems which may lead to more salmonella outbreaks. Take a look at the HSUS's President's article on battery cages.
It is interesting to note that according to The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS)’s white paper:
‘Every one of the last ten studies comparing cage to cage-free systems found higher Salmonella rates in cage systems, including a 2010 study that found 20 times greater odds of Salmonella infection in caged flocks.’
If you would like to learn more about the link between cage egg systems and the risk of salmonella, the HSUS article provides a chart to illustrate the link. Not only is there a link between battery cages and salmonella, but consider how cruel it is to keep a hen in a 67-inch cage (less than a single sheet of letterhead paper) all her life. I think that we need to realize there is a better alternative--cage free systems. Although cage free systems are not perfect, they are preferable to battery cages.
If you would like to know more about what torture hens face when they are placed in battery cages, read HSUS' article on battery cages.
I would like to ask this question: If we are (as humans) considered the superior beings, then don't we have a duty to make sure we treat animals in a humane way?
My next topic will cover animal cruelty in factory farming.
This blog is prepared by a paralegal student as a class project, without compensation. The content of this blog contains my opinion, and is offered for personal interest without warranty of any kind. Comments posted by others on this blog are the responsibility of the posters of those messages. The reader is solely responsible for verifying the content of this blog and any linked information. Content, sources, information, and links will most likely change over time. The content of this blog may not be construed as legal, medical, business, or personal advice
