Eggs-ploitation

Today, the egg industry sent out a press release touting research showing how "free range hens experience just as much or more stress than hens raised in modern, conventional cages." The industry professes that this research debunks assertions by animal rights activists that hens exploited for their eggs have horribly stressed lives. In reality, all this research really debunks is the myth that any form of animal exploitation can be "humane."

The egg industry is simply pointing to another form of exploitation and claiming to cause about the same amount of stress. The industry is in no way denying that they are exploiting other feeling beings. This is basically the same fallacy made two weeks ago by representatives for animal-exploitive circuses.

Unfortunately, some industry reformers have been promoting "free range" or "cage-free" exploitation as more "humane" than the conventional methods of exploitation. Since these advocates have created a myth of humane animal exploitation they're helping the egg industry as a whole to rationalization all types of exploitation. The rationalization being: if "free range" exploitation is "humane," and "free range" exploitation is as stressful or more so than conventional exploitation, then conventional exploitation is "humane" as well. Of course, since the very foundation of this logic is false - since all forms of exploitation are undesirable - the conclusion is also false.

We don't need a researcher from the University of Sydney to tell us that hens subjected to "free range" exploitation are at least as bad off as conventionally exploited hens. We can make that analysis ourselves with the "'Cage-Free' Test" offered by Tribe of Heart, the producers of Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home and The Witness. The test (on the right hand column of the linked page) shows a series of images of rescued hens and asks us to name who was rescued from "cage-free" exploitation, and who was rescued from conventional exploitation. The test clearly illustrates that hens subject to alternative methods of exploitation experience just as much or more stress than those hens exploited in conventional cages.

Since exploiting other animals for food, clothing, entertainment or any other purpose is deplorable, it would be misguided to claim that one form of exploitation is better than another. As opposed to elevating one form of exploitation over another, the vegan ideal means encouraging the development and use of animal-free, non-exploitive alternatives. The egg industry won't get far claiming that plant-based alternatives to eggs involve "as much or more stress" as that experienced by hens.