Group files complaint against Rose Acre [The Tribune, Seymour, Ind.]
Jun. 18--Humane Society of the United States filed a complaint Wednesday with the Federal Trade Commission to stop a Jackson County egg producer from making what it claims are misleading statements about conditions at its farms.
The animal welfare group lodged the complaint against Cortland-based Rose Acre Farms, contending it falsely claims it provides a "humane and friendly" environment for hens.
Rose Acre's K.Y. Hendrix said Thursday he's not seen the complaint but denied the allegations and said the family owned company follows and exceeds industry guidelines for animal welfare.
"They're claiming we falsely advertise on our website, but it boils down to this -- we take care of our animals and our animals are performing to standards," Hendrix said. "If we weren't taking care of our chickens, our chickens wouldn't be taking care of us."
The Humane Society says an investigation at the company's three Iowa farms showed hens trapped in wires of cages; hens unable to reach food or water; hens with broken bones; and dead hens in cages with live hens, The Associated Press reported.
"It's like anything else," Hendrix said. "You have a certain amount of mortality. We meet the standards that the breeder people are after. It's very minimal.
"As far as taking care of animals, it's why we go through third-party audits," he added.
Validus Services Inc. of Urbandale, Iowa, conducts annual audits of Rose Acre's operations.
Validus and USDA inspectors are typically contracted by egg producers to perform such audits.
"We do them once a year and we then get a grade," Hendrix said. "We are meeting those standards."
Hendrix said the complaint is among the latest assaults of the Humane Society of America on animal agriculture.
"They want to eliminate you from eating meat and eggs," he said. "That's what they're after. How are we going to feed the world if they stop people from eating meat and eggs? If we go back to 1940s-style production, we won't have enough land to feed the world. You don't go backward."
Hendrix pointed to the Humane Society of America's own website.
"It always shows a puppy or a kitten, but in reality they're coming after and fighting people like us, trying to eliminate animal agriculture as you and I know it today."
The Humane Society's website says the organization "promotes eating with conscience and embracing the Three Rs -- reducing the consumption of meat and other animal-based foods; refining the diet by avoiding products from the worst production systems (e.g., switching to cage-free eggs); and replacing meat and other animal-based foods in the diet with plant-based foods."
It claims the "majority of meat, eggs and dairy products sold in American grocery chains and restaurants comes from animals raised in intensive-confinement systems (so-called factory farms) that impose significant stress on the animals in pursuit of efficiency."
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