USDA sued over farm animal rights ballot measure

Backers of a farm animal rights measure on California's November ballot have sued agriculture officials, saying they illegally approved $3 million in spending by an egg board to defeat the measure.

The federal lawsuit, filed Wednesday by Californians for Humane Farms, says the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the $3 million in spending by the federally supervised American Egg Board, an egg producers' trade group, despite a law prohibiting the board from using funds to influence government policy.

The measure, Proposition 2 on the Nov. 4 ballot, takes aim at so-called "factory farms" and would be the most comprehensive farm animal rights law in the country, its supporters say. The law would ban cramped metal cages for egg-laying hens, metal gestation crates for pregnant sows and veal crates for lambs — industry standards that confine animals so that they can barely move.

But a recent UC Davis study said that if the measure passes, the state's $330-million egg industry will be so heavily restricted it would face "almost complete annihilation."

-- Tony Barboza

Photo: Gary Friedman/Los Angeles Times

Comments

[Brien Comerford]

More power to Humane Farms. I'm against exploiting and killing animals and birds for meat and dairy. I understand that most people still eat flesh-foods but it's high time for the innocent animals to be treated humanely in sanitary and comfortable conditions.

[Kate Danaher]

As society becomes aware of the profound suffering inside California animal factories, and many individuals suffer terribly with the knowledge of it, people are saying enough is enough. Abhorrent animal cruelty on this mass scale, perpetuated in the name of profit, will no longer be tolerated. We will seize this opportunity to help make this world a better place for all beings by voting Yes! on Prop 2 November 4th. It is simply wrong to treat animals, even animals raised for food, cruelly.

[Haniel]

" "But a recent UC Davis study said that if the measure passes, the state's $330-million egg industry will be so heavily restricted it would face "almost complete annihilation." "

...Now why do I just really, REALLY doubt this?!

[Connee]

I hope Californians step up to the plate and hit a homerun for the animals. Europe and many other countries have banned these cruel practices...but then the EU cares about their citizenry over corporations and their enormous profits.If you doubt what is being said...remember it was an HSUS undercover video that exposed the Chino meat packing plant of using downer cows.....known and obvious sources of Mad Cow Disease. Every time we consume animal products the odds are we are consuming disease from the over confinement and filthy practices of these industries. Wonder where bird flu originated..look at the chicken houses that are being banned every where but here. Kudos to California....the change begins!

[David]

It remains to be seen whether the American Egg Board has done anything wrong by (apparently, at least) steering federal commodity checkoff dollars to a campaign to defeat the misguided Proposition 2.

But the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which is going to court over the matter, is habitually guilty of much grander public deceptions. Public opinion surveys conducted in May By Opinion Research corporation show that more than two-thirds of donors to HSUS believe their contributions are funding pet shelters, not save-the-chickens politicking.

Sadly, there's no law against fleecing your own donors. But there ought to be.

[Shawn Rubino]

It's amazing that big agribusiness would try and block a simple ballot measure that's just asking to allow animals the capability to turn around. God forbid they have to move around once in their shortened horrible lives.

Veal calves are chained to their crates, mother pigs spend 5 years in a cage the size of their bodies and egg laying hens are jammed into cages to full they literally cannot move for two years until they're killed.

The USDA is a joke and I'm not surprised in any way by their use of federal dollars to block this measure. The entire organization is a lap dog for groups like the UEP, NCBA, Monsanto, Con Agra, etc.

Thank you HSUS for battling against these groups and ousting their lies and blatant animal cruelty.

YES ON 2....simple as that.

[LT]

Annihilation?! Who's paying you to say this nonsense, UC Davis? Don't forget, these egg producers have until 2015 to "PHASE out" these cruel battery cages.