If you or your family eat eggs that aren’t from the local farmers market, a farmer you trust, or your own backyard, you need to be aware of this:
“Of all the cartons of organic eggs sold in the United States, more than 1 in 10 originates from a complex …that houses more than 1.6 million hens.”1
Sold under the Eggland’s Best label, Greg Herbruck, president of Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch says (in a promotional video) that the entire process is organic. However, according to people familiar with that particular operation, there are more than three hens per square foot of floor space and they aren’t allowed outside.
RELATED STORY:
I’m not sure about you but nothing about that sounds organic (or healthy) to me.
(Oh, an equally telling is the fact that Herbruck declined a request to visit from a Washington Post reporter “citing the possibility that it could infect the flock with disease.”2 Uh-huh, sure.)
What seems more likely is that he’s trying to hide something; each of his nine long rectangular barns holds about 180,000 birds, essentially more than three hens per square foot of floor space, and none of those birds are allowed outside. Not what consumers expect on an organic farm.
According to a survey conducted by Consumer Reports in 2016, more than 80 percent of consumers who choose organic products believe it’s important that organic eggs come from chickens that are allowed outside:
“Under USDA requirements, organic livestock are supposed to have access to the “outdoors,” get “direct sunlight” and “fresh air.” The rules prohibit “continuous total confinement of any animal indoors.” Organic livestock are supposed to be able to engage in their “natural behavior,” and for chickens, that means foraging on the ground for food, dust-bathing and even short flights.”3
So why on EARTH is Herbruck’s (and other operations like his) allowed to do this?
Apparently, USDA officials “have interpreted the word ‘outdoors’ in such a way that farms that confine their hens to barns but add “porches” are deemed eligible for the valuable ‘USDA Organic’ label. The porches are typically walled-in areas with a roof, hard floors and screening on one side.”4 (I can promise that none of those hens are able to behave naturally (a USDA requirement), not even with a “porch”.) Then, to make extra space for the hens, four levels of metal shelves were installed. You know, what chicken doesn’t dream of being in the dark and walking on a cold, metal shelf. That seems like totally natural behavior.
While most of the small “organic” egg farms in the U.S. allow their hens outside, the larger ones (like Herbruck’s) don’t and the eggs from these large operations may be sold under several different stores’ brands making it difficult for consumers to know where their USDA Organic eggs are being produced.
RELATED STORY:
A Question of Safety
So, why on earth do they prefer to contain the animals? Herbruck explains it’s for their safety:
“Porches keep the hens safe, allowing them to be outdoors while protecting them from wild birds like ducks and geese, and predators like vermin that spread disease and can hurt or kill hens.”5
Those in support of containing the birds and giving them “access” to the outside via porches cite a North Carolina State University study that found “mortality rates of over 30 percent for birds allowed outside. By contrast, the mortality rate for some birds kept inside was as low as 6 percent.”6 And guess who partially funded the study? Poultry companies. Not a huge surprise that they found keeping the animals confined was the smarter way to farm.
However, research conducted by the USDA indicated that mortality rates at organic farms (most of which let their hens out) were lower than those at conventional farms where most often the hens are confined to barns (with “porches”):
“A 2013 USDA study of farms in 19 states with at least 3,000 hens showed the average mortality rate was 7 percent at organic operations and 10 percent at conventional operations.”7
No, hens want to be outside so they can scratch around and dust bathe and forage. This isn’t difficult to understand. At least not if your main concern isn’t just profit.
As you might imagine, efforts to clear up questions surrounding what is and isn’t “organic” have been stalled by the big chicken producers and on Capitol Hill:
“In 2011, the USDA’s National Organic Standards Board voted unanimously to classify porches on henhouses as ‘indoors,’ not outdoors. The board said each bird should have at least 1.5 square feet of indoor space and 2 square feet of outdoor space. Outdoor access ‘is a basic tenet of organic production,’ the board’s recommendation said.
But objections from some of the largest egg operations – including Herbruck’s – and two key Capitol Hill advocates appear to have stalled the proposal. Farm groups representing large conventional agricultural companies have also objected to these requirements.
Democratic Sen. Debbie Stabenow of Michigan, where Herbruck’s is based, and Senate Agriculture Committee chairman Pat Roberts, R-Kan., which is home to the large Cal-Maine facility, have expressed concerns about a proposal for a stricter rule.
In a letter to then-agriculture secretary Tom Vilsack last year, they wrote that ‘our constituents have expressed significant concern regarding possible unintended consequences.’ The senators asked for additional time for public comment on the proposal, and it was delayed.”8
To date, no decision has been made.
RELATED STORY:
(FYI: here is how some farmers allow their birds to be birds…)
We would never suggest you don’t eat animal products (I personally live a plant-based lifestyle) but we do always want you to be educated.
SOURCE:
