Temple Grandin Worried About Egg, Dairy Farm Care Of Animals
Written by Vegetarian Star on April 23rd, 2010 in Animal Issues.
Temple Grandin, scientist who made contributions to the livestock industry praised by those in the business and animal rights activists, says dairy and egg farms need to step up their level of care for the animals.
The subject of a recent HBO movie chronicling her life, Grandin said farmers have gotten used to keeping animals and the conditions they’re kept in unhealthy.
At an organic food industry conference, Grandin said, according to the Des Moines Register. “The bad has become normal.”
Grandin said battery cages used to house hens aren’t large enough to allow the birds to continue their normal behavior, such as scratching, nesting and perching.
But she is concerned that too many regulations will cause farmers to take their business to other countries to save money, thus causing Americans to lose their jobs.
She’s also worried about low-income people being able to afford the price of the cage-free eggs.
One suggestion Grandin has is to use larger cage systems that Europe already has, which allows the birds to do normal behaviors.
Could America be on its way to adopting a similar practice?
Lee Kilmer, a dairy extension specialist at Iowa State University said, “California is five years ahead of the Midwest, and the European Union is five years ahead of California. I’m hoping we can get producers in the Midwest to deal with some of these practices that deal with animal welfare before we have legislation requiring it.”
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