Jane's guest, Dr. Michael Greger of the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), unequivocally asserts that battery-cage factory farms
facilitate salmonella infection. Dr. Greger cites the extreme
confinement of battery cages, in which egg-laying hens are barely able
to move, as a source of accumulated and swirling fecal dust - one major
means of transmission. He also attributes high risk of transmission to
the vast manure pits on factory egg farms, which are breeding grounds
for rodents and flies.
While the egg-industry trade group, the United Egg Producers (UEP), says that there is no link between caged egg production and elevated risk of salmonella, Dr. Greger cites eight scientific studies conducted in the last five years that have found greater incidence of salmonella in caged egg production versus cage-free.
Because
caged egg production is both cruel to animals and a public health risk,
HSUS is calling on the Iowa egg industry to phase out its use.
Nathan Runkle
is the Founder and Executive Director of Mercy For Animals. Raised on a
farm in rural Ohio, Nathan has long had a deep connection with farmed
animals and agriculture. After learning of a local farmed animal abuse case,
involving a piglet slammed head first into a concrete floor during an
agriculture project at a nearby high school, Nathan founded Mercy For Animals to give “food” animals a much needed advocate in his local community.
Please watch for Animal Beat's ongoing coverage of egg industry issues, including an upcoming interview with the representative of a large-scale California egg production company.
