United Egg Producers executive warns about HSUS effort
By Carol Stender
cstender@agrinews.com
Date Modified: 02/04/2010 8:38 AM
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WILLMAR, Minn. —Imagine exporting Minnesota-grown corn and soybeans to Brazil, Mexico or China to feed livestock and then having the meat and eggs shipped back to the U.S. for consumption.
The scenario is not far from reality, said Chad Gregory at the 2010 Strategic Animal Ag Conference in Willmar Jan. 15.
Gregory, United Egg Producers senior vice president, said PETA and the Humane Society of the United States are targeting organizations like Gregory's.
PETA and HSUS are not interested in humane conditions for animals, but in conflict and cash, he said. HSUS has a $131 million revenue source while the U.S. Egg Producers has $2.5 million with eight employees.
Gregory says the goal of the two organizations is to ban all slaughter within the U.S., to stop all hunting and fishing, close zoos and stop all human research use of animals.
"They have made the egg industry their pinata," he said.
Minnesota Farm Bureau recently met with Paul Shapiro, HSUS factory farm campaign director, Gregory said.
Following Gregory's presentation, MFB president Kevin Paap confirmed the meeting took place. It was called by Shapiro who asked the state Farm Bureau to support a halt to tail docking of cattle.
Paap said he told Gregory no such action would come from the county organizations.
HSUS is working in Minnesota, but, unlike some states, no petition drives can bring a proposition to the ballot, he said.
The United Egg Producers, working with poultry researchers on a science-based certification program, created the United Egg Producers Certified Program. The program covers everything from beak trimming to space in cages to cage configuration. Annual audits are conducted by the USDA-AMS and Validus, a private firm. More than 80 percent of the U.S. egg laying industry participates in the program, he said.
Such quality assurance programs mean little to PETA and HSUS whose number one mission is to eliminate crates for pigs and veal and cages for chickens, he said.
HSUS is often confused with local animal shelters but animal shelters have no affiliation with HSUS, he said.
The organizations have been involved in state initiatives to move their agenda.
There are 24 states that allow citizens to collect signatures to get measures on the ballot. It's how California's Proposition 2 was initiated. The proposition calls for animals being given the ability to stand up, sit down, turn around and extend limbs without touching anything.
United Egg Producers raised $10 million to fight the proposition and used it up in six months, he said. UEP lost the fight. Many producers in the fifth largest egg producing state will be out of business by 2015, he said.
Eventually measure believes HSUS will take the measure to Washington, D.C.
There's concern that 24 states allow petition drives to bring measures to ballot.
And what would happen if cages were banned? About 15 million more hens would be needed to produce the same number of eggs because mortalities double in cage-free environments, he said. IT would also require 1 million additional acres of corn and soybean production.
"More egg farmers would simply go out of business," he said. "Cheaper eggs could be produced in China, Brazil in Mexico," he said. "There are additional questions of food safety, the environment and the cost of food."
It's already happened in Europe, Gregory said.
A decade ago, a German egg producer told UEP not to let what happened to them, happen in the United States as increased regulations have forced many producers there to leave the business.
"The German egg industry used to be the shining star," he said. "Today 65 percent of all eggs purchased are produced outside the country because of ridiculous animal welfare regulations."
In 2007, the U.S. also became a net importer of food.
"We have tried to be more pro-active as a result," he said.
UEP is working with other ag organizations in a coalition building to fight HSUS, he said.