On September 25^th Ken Klippen was interviewed by David Weinburg, a reporter for the Los Angeles radio station KCRW about California’s Prop 12, the cage-free initiative before the voters this year. He asked Klippen about the proposition and heard the history behind Prop 2 in 2008 and now Prop 12 in 2018.  Klippen explained how consumers in California were being misled into thinking Prop 12 would improve the welfare of chickens.  He explained the “pecking order” among chickens establishing dominance. Klippen explained it was more humane to confine chickens into smaller populations of 6-8 birds in a cage as opposed to thousands loose on the ground.  Those cage-free chickens lower in the pecking order are often pecked to death.  It has led to higher mortality among cage-free chickens.  He stated “Forcing chickens into production systems that increases mortality is inhumane”.  Klippen also spoke of Dr. Ivan Alvarado, DVM with Merck Global Business reporting on the external parasites in cage-free farms. 83% of European cage-free egg farms are already infested with poultry red mites. All 27 member nations in the EU are about 40% cage-free compared to 16% in the U.S.. The approved medication in Europe for this parasite is not approved in the U.S.  Klippen stated “Subjecting poultry to parasites without the benefit of approved medication is inhumane”. Currently, Klippen noted that California is struggling with a major poultry disease (Virulent Newcastle Disease) with approximately 140 outbreaks in backyard (free-range flocks).  Once discovered, these chickens have to be destroyed.  This is not occurring in conventional farming methods using cages. Klippen stated “Forcing chickens into production systems where they contract poultry diseases is inhumane”. He also noted the report from The US Animal Health Association October 17, 2017 which stated: “Ascarids (round worms) are increasingly being found in cage-free operations.” Chickens pick up roundworms when they come into contact with infected feces on the ground. How will listeners the Los Angeles react to finding round worms in their eggs? When asked about a compromise, Klippen explained how the conventional cages are an improvement to how eggs were produced 50 years ago. 

The National Association of Egg Farmers believe that treating animals humanely is in the best interest of both the farmer and the chicken.  How do we know if were doing that?  By basing production practices on science and not emotion. 

In the 2015 Legislative Session of the State of Rhode Island was a bill that passed the House and went to the Senate (H5505) that would ban the production of eggs from chickens kept in cages.  Why chose Rhode Island for this battle.  There’s only one egg farmer producing eggs in cages; Little Rhody Farms.  Included in the efforts to persuade the Rhode Island Legislature, there was an effort to persuade the general public.  This took on the form of a televised video of chickens in cages filmed in another state.  Also the opposing groups wrote Opinion Editorials (Op-Eds) sent to newspaper; The Providence Journal in the Capital of Rhode Island.  Below are two links; the first is the Op-Ed submitted by the NAEF.  The second link is from HSUS attacking our position and NAEF’s President personally.  This is what is done by a desperate opponent fighting a losing battle.

This was a victory for NAEF at defending the only egg farmer in Rhode Island who produces eggs from caged layers by using the available science.  The Rhode Island Senate adjourned without considering the bill (H5505) to ban caged layers.  HSUS  attacking the National Association of Egg Farmers calling it a “fringe group” and its President as an “outlier in the egg industry” is just more misinformation from HSUS.  NAEF, has a membership base of 278 farmers, one of the largest egg farmer based national associations with some of those members also participating in the other national association representing eggs, thus refuting the charges of “fringe” and “outlier”. Science and logic should always prevail over emotion. This time it did!

http://www.providencejournal.com/article/20150624/OPINION/150629696/13831

http://m.providencejournal.com/article/20150625/OPINION/150629498/2011

The housing of chickens producing eggs in conventional battery cages has been banned in Germany since 1 January 2010 – two years earlier than the deadline laid down in EU legislation. Since then, it has only been permitted to keep laying hens in small-group housing systems, barn and free-range systems or in organic production systems. Major changes in production structures have taken place in Germany. In 2008, around 60 per cent of all laying hens were still kept in conventional cages and small-group housing systems. Following the ban on conventional cages, the proportion of laying hens kept in small-group housing systems and ‘enriched cages’ is now just 13 per cent, according to the Federal Statistical Office.

As of December 1, 2012, a total of 36.6 million laying hens were kept in Germany. (The figures include farms with space for at least 3,000 hens). This is 7.5 per cent more than in December 2011. There was a particularly sharp rise in organic production with a 17 per cent increase between 2011 and 2012. However, it is worth noting that this growth started from a relatively low level. There were also increases in the number of laying hens kept in barns (up 9.1 per cent) and free-range systems (up 8.7 per cent). Meanwhile, the number of laying hens kept in cages was down 4.5 per cent.

The current overall housing capacity can accommodate around 42 million hens. 26.8 million of these spaces (64 per cent) are in barn systems, 6.1 million (14.6 per cent) are in free-range systems, and 5.5 million (13.2 per cent) are in enriched cages and small-group housing systems. Around 3.4 million spaces (8.2 per cent) are in organic production.