Below is a letter that was sent out by Farm Sanctuary to Ohio residents regarding the latest animal cruelty that continues to infest our wonderful state of Ohio. Remember that Ohio is already number 50, out of all 50 states, with regards to animal cruelty issues and lax laws to protect animals from inhumane and abusive treatment. And keep in mind that poultry is not even on the books — our feathered friends are not protected by Ohio laws in any way. Is allowing such a horrific facility here in Ohio how we want to show our compassion for animals as Ohio residents? I am guessing that most people who want our animals treated kindly and humanely will simply not stand for more of the same of what we already deal with here in our home state. Check out the information that Farm Sanctuary provides, and then help prevent additional animal cruelty from residing in Ohio. There is a great deal of eye-opening information on their first web-link, and then click on the second link to voice your opinion. Thanks, Ohio residents, for caring enough to speak out on behalf of the animals!
And make sure to check out http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/eggs/bc_evidence.html
and http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/eggs/gemperle.html
FROM FARM SANCTUARY
Ohio: Are You OK With Cramming Six Million
More Hens Into Battery Cages?
Dear Annette,
Residents in Union County are fighting the construction of what would be Ohio's largest egg farm confining six million hens on a single parcel of land and they need your help!
As the country's second-largest egg-producing state, Ohio is already home to more than 26 million laying hens. Nearly all of these hens are confined in battery cages that prevent them from standing upright, spreading their wings, or even taking more than a few steps for their entire lives. Now, Iowa-based Hi-Q Egg Products LLC is looking to build and operate a six-million-chicken egg factory that would produce 70,000 tons of chicken manure annually in http://action.farmsanctuary.org/site/R?i=P2RlNIwca57OaNAYw7wRVw..
York Township in northwestern Union County. If this is approved, when combined with existing facilities in that area, it would mean the confinement of 11 million chickens -- nearly the entire human population of Ohio -- within a three-mile radius.
Please take a minute to spread compassion this holiday season by voicing your opposition to this mega-egg factory being built in your backyard. http://action.farmsanctuary.org/site/R?i=ZngRW6KX-M_lqV7loz-oOQ..
Thank you,
Gene
p.s. After taking action, please forward this notice to your friends and family in Ohio.
Click the link below to view this message as HTML in your browser:
http://action.farmsanctuary.org/site/R?i=xEk3AKBoGe5TfbyK2CwZsQ..
You can always visit their website at www.farmsanctuary.org!
And an interesting letter to the editor that shared the basic facts about factory egg farms was worth copying and sharing (below):
What They Don't Want You to Know About Eggs
Dear Editor,
Yesterday's USA Weekend edition had a short piece and accompanying quiz called "Don't Know Much About Eggs," which coincided with National Egg Month. Here are some facts about eggs that most people don't know. I submit that these are more important than knowing whether a raw egg spins well.
- 95 percent or more of eggs come from factory farm hens. The hens live in small cages with slatted floors. They never see the sun or breathe fresh air.
- Factory farm hens have less space than a sheet of notebook paper in which to live.
- Factory farm hens typically are de-beaked. Hens use their beaks for foraging and to clean their feathers.
- The male offspring of breeder hens are killed by suffocation, exposure, gassing, or being ground up, shortly after they're born.
- Most factory farms have hens' cages stacked one on top of the other. The bottom hens become covered in excrement that falls on them from the top cages.
- "Animal Care Certified" (ACC) hens are subject to all the above harsh conditions. In addition, they may be starved for over a week to force more eggs out of them.
- The Better Business Bureau called the ACC program misleading.
- After a year, or two at most, factory farm laying hens are "spent:" nearly featherless, plagued with joint problems, weak, and generally looking awful.
- Spent hens are thrown into crates, loaded on a truck, and slaughtered. Hens are not protected under the Humane Slaughter Act. Their muscles are paralyzed but they are conscious and sentient when their throats are slit.
- Improperly hung birds may have their wings, heads, or other body parts ripped off while upside down, in shackles, on the slaughter line.
If inclined, please forward this email around the newsroom so the right people know the not-so-tasteful realities of modern egg production.
Thank you.
