Brad Pitt, Bill Maher slam Costco, speak up for caged hens
Source: AP
By SANDY COHEN
LOS ANGELES (AP) Brad Pitt and Bill Maher say Costco contributes to animal cruelty by selling eggs from caged hens.
Pitt sent a letter to the chief executive of the big-box chain Thursday asking the company to stop selling eggs produced this way. Pitt's letter to Craig Jelinek says caged birds suffer atrophy of their muscles and bones from years of immobility, adding that the cages have been banned in California and much of Europe.
"As you know, these birds producing eggs for your shelves are crammed five or more into cages that are not large enough for even one hen to spread her wings," Pitt writes.
Maher took aim at the company in an editorial published last week by The New York Times.
FULL story at link.
FILE - In this Oct. 19, 2014 file photo, actor Brad Pitt poses for photographers at the premiere for the film "Fury," which closes the BFI London Film Festival, at the Odeon cinema in central London. Brad Pitt and Bill Maher say Costco contributes to animal cruelty by selling eggs from caged hens. Pitt sent a letter to the chief executive of the big-box chain Thursday, July 16, 2015, asking the company to stop selling eggs produced this way. (Photo by Joel Ryan/Invision/AP, File)
Read more: http://bigstory.ap.org/article/bf6b8439b7d340ff86ef2e46889cc32c/brad-pitt-bill-maher-slam-costco-speak-caged-hens
Love Costco but they need to change this.
jwirr
(39,215 posts)supplier but most of us are buying eggs from caged hens.
Except those of us who are raising our own.
C Moon
(12,226 posts)dorkzilla
(5,141 posts)And Costco is a really responsive/responsible company...Im sure theyll make good on this one.
Id love to raise my own but I dont think (Im pretty sure) my town allows them.
spooky3
(34,525 posts)If those who can afford it demand humane conditions and refuse to buy products from cruel producers, change will happen.
Kudos to people who use their fame to bring about good.
LittleGirl
(8,292 posts)that I'm allergic to eggs.
ctsnowman
(1,903 posts)chernabog
(480 posts)I wish Brad and Bill would urge them to stop selling eggs altogether.
Omaha Steve
(99,845 posts)The company is local and in all the stores.
https://www.cafetecumseh.com/SmartChicken/Default.aspx
In addition to the care and husbandry that goes
into raising and processing Smart Chicken,
Tecumseh Farms Organic birds are exclusively
fed a certified organic grain diet. Tecumseh Farms
is the only chicken producer in the country
to offer a product line that is both certified
organic and certified humane by
Humane Farm Animal Care.
chernabog
(480 posts)What does that mean...or rather what do you think that means?
Omaha Steve
(99,845 posts)http://certifiedhumane.org/
Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) is the leading non-profit certification organization dedicated to improving the lives of farm animals in food production from birth through slaughter.
The goal of the program is to improve the lives of farm animals by driving consumer demand for kinder and more responsible farm animal practices.
When you see the Certified Humane Raised and Handled® label on a product you can be assured that the food products have come from facilities that meet precise, objective standards for farm animal treatment.
chernabog
(480 posts)to buy "humane", why not go the extra step and just not eat animals? That way there is no contribution to their death
.
And lol at that picture... its like "We are having such a great time! gonna kill these goats soon lol"
roody
(10,849 posts)chernabog
(480 posts)Thank you
Omaha Steve
(99,845 posts)Last edited Thu Jul 16, 2015, 07:59 PM - Edit history (1)
I gave up fish oil. It started with my milk. When I was diagnosed with dementia I was told to have DHA Omega 3 fortified milk. The DHA Omega comes from plants, not fish. Then I read how fish oil supplements were bad for the entire food chain because it robs from the bottom. Then I took my granddaughter to see "Whales" at the zoo IMAX. It reinforced that krill kill fact. So I went to a fish oil replacement. Baby steps. I doubt I'll ever give up meat. Trying to make a difference in my buying selections is a start. DHA Omega from plankton below.
My fish free supplement:
My milk that started it:
Video on my milk:
TexasBushwhacker
(20,250 posts)Krill oil is problematic because krill is, as you said, at the bottom if the food chain. The only real issue with fish oil is that it has to be distilled to remove mercury.
Omaha Steve
(99,845 posts)http://action.sumofus.org/a/cvs-antarctic-krill/?sub=homepage
Update: We've already had over 90,000 people call on CVS to stop selling krill oil pills. And now, CVS is hitting back.
CVS is claiming that the krill in its krill oil health supplements are sustainably and responsibly sourced. But the sustainability certification CVS is relying on is deeply flawed; it doesn't account for the importance of krill in the Antarctic food chain, and the fact that krill are vulnerable to climate change.
PS. If you would like to read our longer response on why the certifications are bad, click here.
CVS is supporting the plunder of Antarctica and one of the last unspoiled oceans on the planet.
The pharmacy giant is marketing and selling Antarctic krill oil as a health supplement -- vacuuming krill in vast quantities from the Antarctic oceans and pumping them into pills. It's putting the entire Antarctic ecosystem at risk, and we can stop it.
Much more and petition at link.
red dog 1
(27,913 posts)msongs
(67,496 posts)Ilsa
(61,712 posts)Of us. I've been to their website. Nothing within 50 miles.
Indydem
(2,642 posts)What kind of a elitist 1% statement is that?
Eggs are one of the least expensive, most protein filled foods that many people can afford.
Not everyone can afford to buy eggs raised in some kind of new age chicken mansion, or have the space or resources to raise our own.
Ridiculous.
chernabog
(480 posts)Eating eggs is cruel. Not an elitist statement at all, a very progressive statement. Maybe too progressive for you.
Indydem
(2,642 posts)I'm a Democrat. I've been finding out lately that there is a BIG difference.
Enjoy your progressive, vegan, more expensive lifestyle.
chernabog
(480 posts)that a vegan lifestyle is more expensive.
MissB
(15,813 posts)you are wielding.
chernabog
(480 posts)restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)that get ground up alive after being tossed into the "waste" bin because they are "worthless."
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)I like to pretend I'm more progressive than people I simply disagree with too. It's rather self-validating and allows us the pretense we're much more ethical than those around us.
chernabog
(480 posts)rather than whatever it is that you are doing?
ToxMarz
(2,169 posts)All mammals produce eggs and they are either fertilized or discarded. I guess not just mammals.
chernabog
(480 posts)Then it is not your egg to eat, IMO. Humans have no need to consume eggs.
ToxMarz
(2,169 posts)chernabog
(480 posts)Stupid Birdz
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)They have NO potential for growth.
They are less "alive" than plants.
Where is the cruelty?
chernabog
(480 posts)Is where the cruelty lies. The treatment of the hens, the male chicks, just do some research.
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)chernabog
(480 posts)1. Where are you getting the hens from?
2. What happens to the hens when they stop producing eggs?
Exploitation is cruel
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)Still cruel?
chernabog
(480 posts)Time travel, and speak Mandarin?
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)The egg itself has no life.
Eating it's perfect proteins is not cruel in and of itself.
I agree that better conditions should be mandated.
chernabog
(480 posts)To eat its egg?
PassingFair
(22,434 posts)LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)No doubt you'll supply objective, peer-reviewed analysis rather than a pretty picture to better support your premise/allegation/bumper-sticker, yes?
chernabog
(480 posts)just like Brad Pitt and Bill are doing. Do you ask everyone with an opinion to supply objective, peer-reviewed analysis?
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)It defines a minimum area for the chicken as enough room to turn around, lie down, and spread its wings, and as of this year that is suppose to apply to the hens who laid eggs sold in the state.
chernabog
(480 posts)Who's going to enforce this? Farmers aren't gonna give a shit about this. What's the penalty for not following these standards?
Gormy Cuss
(30,884 posts)Many farmers do in fact give a shit about this and other regulations that may impact their profitability. There are both fines and short term jail stays for violations of Prop 2 and the state will inspect for this just as they inspect for other conditions.
Will everyone adhere to the law? No. Will more hens have better living conditions? Yes, even hens outside of CA because the big producers do not want to be locked out of the state.
The fact that the various meat councils were more upset by this than the egg producers tells me that there's a lot of fear that states would impose more standards on pig farmers and cattle ranchers. There'd be no reason for such fears if they just planned on ignoring the new laws.
J_J_
(1,213 posts)Go Brad! (and I guess this makes up for a bit of Bill Maher's assholishness)
Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)against Costco is eggs.
Indydem
(2,642 posts)Unknown Beatle
(2,672 posts)I was unaware. Costco should drop the Reynolds Group immediately and show strong commitment to workers in the US.
roody
(10,849 posts)YOHABLO
(7,358 posts)red dog 1
(27,913 posts)Or Safeway, or Albertsons, or Luckys,, or Raleys, or Seven-Eleven, etc. etc.
MADem
(135,425 posts)They like bugs, worms, all kinds of living creatures. I am always concerned for the poor things when I see the "vegan/vegetarian" label on the egg carton.
I like eggs from the farmstand near a relative's house--I don't get near there often enough, but they are definitely like the eggs from my childhood! And I know those guys are scratching round the barnyard, eating all kinds of stuff.
If I ever lived in the countryside, I'd love to have a couple of hens, if I knew what I was doing!
chernabog
(480 posts)Hens also like living.
MADem
(135,425 posts)They are raised to die, the food chickens. I hope they are sacrificed quickly, with dignity, so that I may enjoy their deliciousness.
I'll bet you can't find a single hen to give you a treatise on the joys of living. I'll wager it's something they don't even think about.
What they don't like is to feel pain, and I think they should be comfortable and have pleasant surroundings while they live.
As long as they are comfortable before you eat their dead body, I guess it's all good then.
There are vegan options that taste just like the chicken flesh you so desire. Won't you please consider those options?
Indydem
(2,642 posts)People like chicken.
They like eggs.
Most people do not care how they get them.
Ever been pecked by a chicken? They are a nasty, mean, aggressive animal. There is no intelligence or warmth in them.
So, most people aren't going to eat your tofuchicken or whatever it is you are peddling.
chernabog
(480 posts)Sorry if that threatens you.
MADem
(135,425 posts)I've tried those "vegan options." I like soy based products just fine, but people who don't eat tasty chicken on a regular basis are not the best arbiters as to what "tastes like chicken" and what does not. Fake meat tastes like fake meat.
I'm an omnivore. I don't eat a half cow at every meal, or Henry VIII the chicken legs all the live-long day, but I like me some chicken on occasion. I also like beef and fish, and I have been known to indulge in a little bacon every now and again. I'm not a fan of lamb or mutton, so I don't eat well at Middle Eastern feasts unless they've got more than one meat on the menu, and I also don't do snake or venison or roadkill. If I were hungry enough, though, I'd overcome every objection.
red dog 1
(27,913 posts)I like Brad Pitt & Bill Maher even more now.
oberliner
(58,724 posts)While its sometimes possible to find small farms where the animals have better lives (though this in no way justifies exploiting or killing them), its important to realize that humane welfare labeling is largely a marketing ploy that preys on consumer willingness to pay more for better treatment of animals. If youre buying cage free, free range or humane certified animal products from a grocery store, you are more than likely being deceived about the welfare of animals raised for food. Because humane labeling terms are not meaningfully defined or enforced, suppliers are notorious for manipulating intentional loopholes in these loosely interpreted standards. In a recent report, even Trader Joes cage free egg suppliers were found to debeak their hens, which means the birds also live in severely crowded facilities. Massive confinement operations, like Sparboe Farms and Perdue Farms, that confine millions of chickens in deplorable conditions, are awarded humanely raised certification through a USDA-sponsored fraudulent labeling scheme. And there is simply no such thing as a happy dairy cow.
http://woodstocksanctuary.org/learn-3/the-humane-farming-myth/
JudyM
(29,294 posts)Something's better than nothing, though, I suppose.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)restorefreedom
(12,655 posts)towards a more humane diet, which is plant based.
that is the problem with humane" farming. it gives people a feel good reason to keep about their habits which still end up killing 10 billion animals a year (u.s. only, not counting ocean animals as well as so called bycatch).
valerief
(53,235 posts)an organic grain diet. They cost at least twice as much, but I don't feel any guilt eating my eggs every day.
However, Costco isn't the only guilty merchandiser. Everywhere eggs are sold in America (I guess, except California) includes cruelty eggs. Congress is to blame. It won't stop without a law.
Omaha Steve
(99,845 posts)http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/11/28/christie-vetoes-pig-bill_n_6238926.html
By JILL COLVIN
Posted: 11/28/2014 7:23 pm EST Updated: 01/28/2015 5:59 am EST
NEWARK, N.J. (AP) Republican Gov. Chris Christie has vetoed a politically charged bill that would have banned the use of certain pig cages in his state, a move many observers see as aimed at appeasing Iowa voters ahead of a potential 2016 presidential run.
In a veto message issued Friday, Christie called the bill opposing gestation crates a "solution in search of a problem."
"It is a political movement masquerading as substantive policy," he said.
The crates, which are so small that pregnant pigs can't turn around in them, have been criticized by animal welfare activists as cruel. Pigs can spend years in them, and advocates say they don't want their use to spread.
FULL story at link.
valerief
(53,235 posts)Pigs are highly intelligent animals. But these "leaders" don't give a shit about anyone not in the 1%. nt
chernabog
(480 posts)moonscape
(4,676 posts)- at least not healthily.
You see, I'm extremely insulin resistant and must eat <30 carbs/day in order to stay off medication and control my health. Not eating any animal products would mean hugely increased carb intake, something my body can't tolerate.
Besides that, I have no problem accepting animals eating each other as part of the cycle of life. As humans not having any natural predators, I do think it's our responsibility to manage eating animals in as humane a way as possible.
I respect those who don't make that choice, even those who are anti-choice and picket clinics, but personally believe in rational humane choice in all things.
And besides that! - nobody will pry eggs from my cold dead hands!
chernabog
(480 posts)A low fat diet with complex healthy carbs is much better suited for those with insulin resistance. Also, exercise helps.
moonscape
(4,676 posts)for many diabetics. What I listen to is my body, my meter, and resulting lab tests. I've been a moderator on an active diabetes forum for years, and know a lot about this subject, but this isn't the place for a treatise. We just have substantially different views. Mine were derived from research, trial and error, and contact with thousands of diabetics over time.
chernabog
(480 posts)valerief
(53,235 posts)chernabog
(480 posts)lonestarnot
(77,097 posts)romanic
(2,841 posts)Guess that includes Costco too. :/
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)tabasco
(22,974 posts)He and Angelina seem very sincere in their desire to do good.
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)I have hens, my friends and neighbors have hens, we have more eggs than we know what to do with.
chernabog
(480 posts)Seriously?
gwheezie
(3,580 posts)And these eggs are not being produced to even be eaten. They're falling out of the hens.I quess I could leave the eggs for the snakes to eat them but I try not to attract snakes into the coop. I have the chickens for insect control so I don't use pesticides. They're my pets. No one eats them. I currently have 4 of them and a couple of ducks. If the hens don't lay eggs its not like I get mad at them. The girls are very loving and pretty set in their routine.
I do like my snakes though. I have black snakes living in my barn. I'm always glad to see them in the spring. I just don't want them with the hens.
tazkcmo
(7,306 posts)25 each Longhorn, Rhode Island Reds and Plymouth. The longhorns layed 2 to 3 eggs a day while the others did 1 sometimes 2. When they were chicks I would wlak them through my garden to feast on the grasshoppers and such. When they got larger had to keep them out as they would also eat my tomatoes and cucs. They also liked to eat each other on occasion. They're really stupid, too. Always laughed my ass off when one would get out of the chicken yard and run franticly around the fence trying to get back in.
After the garden was harvested, I'd let them all run free during the day. They stayed pretty close to their coop, scratching in the long gravel driveway and dirt patches as well as the harvested garden. After sundown they would roost in the surrounding trees. It was easy to pick 'em out and return them to the safety of their coop as they're pretty heavy sleepers. I loved my chickens and loved eating them, too. The one thing they all had in common besides laying eggs (except for the few roosters I had, of course) was they were delicious!
Many municipalities allow up to 3 chickens for individuals. Just make sure you build your coop so it protects against burrowing (underground barrier at least 18 inches deep and flying predators (A roof made of chicken wire for their "yard" .