For those of us who don't make a living in agriculture, there is something emotionally appealing about Proposition 2's attempt to instill more humane farm practices in California.
The measure, promoted by the national Humane Society, would prohibit the confinement of a farm animal for a majority of the day in a way that prevented it from "lying down, standing up and fully extending his or her limbs" and "turning around freely."
There is no question about the main target of the measure. It is the poultry industry and its practice of stacking egg-laying hens in cramped cages...
Supporters of Proposition 2 would like to cast it as a battle between the good guys battling farm cruelty and the bad guys defending agribusiness profit. The reality, however, is significantly more complicated.
We heard from the advocates of both sides, and perhaps the most persuasive testimony against the measure came from Steve Mahrt, a Petaluma farmer who specializes in organic, cage-free eggs. Mahrt suggested the rigid language of Proposition 2 would make cage-free operations such as his "uncompetitive" with farmers from other states who could house their hens in greater density. He also suggested that his quarter-century of experience in the egg business - all cage-free - convinced him that the birds were healthier, and happier, in environments where they were packed closer together than would be allowed under Proposition 2...
More than 90 percent of California's 20 million egg-laying hens are kept in the battery cages that would be outlawed under Proposition 2...
No question, the description of battery cages makes a reasonably person uneasy. One solution already available to consumers is to look for the "cage free" labels in stores.
We might even be inclined to support a prohibition on battery cages if it were developed in the California Legislature, where the concerns of egg producers could be heard and addressed, instead of this all-or-nothing ballot measure. Also, a bill passed by legislators could be amended if unintended consequences emerged...
Voters should reject Proposition 2.
This editorial first appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on Friday.
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