Egg Investigation Catches On

It’s been two-and-a-half years since our first investigation into Gemperle Enterprises. Then, an activist snuck into the company’s Central Valley egg farms overnight and shot video of the battery cages and the toll they take on the hens. That report got a lot of attention (it led to changes at Gemperle customers Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods), but this week’s report is getting more – probably for several reasons. First, this time, an activist actually got a job at Gemperle and videotaped workers treating hens roughly. Today, the California Egg and Poultry Association put out a news releases saying, “Let us state strongly that we condemn many of the graphic images and activities depicted in this film. Such images and actions are inconsistent, out of practice, and in violation of our high standards for animal welfare.” You can read the complete news release here.

The second reason – the video shot by the undercover activist is part of a campaign by Mercy For Animals and the Humane Society of the United States before the November election. Californians will be voting on the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act which would ban battery cages, along with gestation crates for pigs and veal crates. HSUS brings funding and strategic planning to the efforts of the relatively small non-profit group, Mercy For Animals.

Speaking of funding, Nu-Cal Foods – the largest egg distributor in the Western United States, partly owned by Gemperle – is one of the biggest contributors to the campaign against the ballot initiative. They’ve spent more than $120,000, second only to United Egg Producers, the national trade group.

I also wanted to point out a new study just published by a prestigious group of researchers, the Pew Commission on Industrial Farm Animal Production. The panel recommended a phase-out of battery cages, and concluded factory farms pose unacceptable risks to the public health, environment and animal welfare.

Comments

[Humane California]

Dan Noyes deserves credit for exposing this cruelty. As he notes, Gemperle isn't just any rotten egg. It's part of NuCal, the single largest in-state contributor to the agribusiness campaign to defeat this humane initiative.

Voters can prevent animal cruelty, protect the environment, and help family farmers by voting YES on the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act this November.

[Josh]

Investigations at California egg factory farms have found the same disturbing abuse – hens forced to live in cages so small the birds can’t even spread their wings. Not allowing hens to extend their limbs for their entire life is cruel, inhumane, and is simply unacceptable.

As Dan Noyes stated, the factory farm caught abusing animals on videotape is also a major contributor to the opposition of the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act. I don’t think it’s surprising that a company that’s spending more than $100,000 to prevent anti-cruelty legislation from being enacted was caught abusing animals itself.

This November, let’s show factory farms that Californians won’t tolerate animal cruelty. Visit www.HumaneCalifornia.org.

[Farm Sanctuary]

You can view video footage from Gemperle in 2007 here: http://www.farmsanctuary.org/issues/factoryfarming/eggs/gemperle.html
Gemperle Farms eggs are still being sold by Trader Joes (under the "Sun Valley" label), as well as major supermarkets all over the West, including Safeway, Albertson’s and others.

It's also important to note that Steve Gemperle, president of Gemperle Farms, is on the board of directors of the United Egg Producers and is the Chairman of the Consumer Education and Foodservice Committee for the American Egg Board, an organization that has vowed to fight the Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act tooth and nail. Combined with the funding from Nu-Cal, the individuals behind the businesses and organizations involved in fighting basic humane measures all seem to point in one direction.

[Melissa Elliott]

Once again, thank you Dan Noyes! This is such an important issue & every single report brings more people in to the light & let's them know where their eggs are REALLY coming from! I only hope the public will realize this is not an isolated incident & they must be diligent in making sure this cruelty does not continue.

[Lynn]

Animal welfare is not as simplistic as just providing more space per each bird. True animal welfare balances space with the competing interests of access to feed and water, temperature controlled environments, shelter from elements, protection from predators and from disease. The more space per each bird the harder the other aspects (and more expensive) are too provide. Current UEP standards allow birds to stand up, sit down, turn around, and extend their wings as written on the Prop 2 ballot summary. The problem is the actual law language of Prop 2 that requires fully extended wings without touching another bird or the sides of the cage. This is five feet per bird. A conservative industry estimate is 55 million to buy more land, get permits, build more buildings, creating a much greater carbon footprint. Cage free birds have a higher mortality rate than caged birds because of the difficulty of providing all the aspects of animal welfare. Gemperle Enterprises released a statement subsequent to this video that in talking to workers a few were egged on to mistreating birds by the “investigator” and the footage was sped up, staged and manipulated. Gemperle Enterprises passes audits by both UEP and the USDA as meeting the highest welfare standards. In six weeks, at night, with few other workers around it is easy to manipulate video to meet your own Vegan agenda. This man was a maintenance man hired to FIX anything that was wrong. It is the worst form of irony that the animal rights activists harm birds (or instigate it in others) just to make a media splash.

[Erika]

I buy sun valley eggs from trader joes, and was very disappointed to find out that the company has been exposed for mistreatment of the chickens. One would think that a company like trader joes (that sells cruelty free products) would buy from a egg supplier that treats chickens humanely. I am disgusted that I unknowingly contributed to the mistreatment of animals. Trader joes has completely lost my respect and trust.