A CAA volunteer sent me this letter summarizing the UDS meeting. Would
others please review it? I'll send her any suggestions we come up with.
Thanks,
Jason
The movement for compassionate treatment of farm animals scored a
major victory last week when the UDS Student Advisory Committee voted 5
to 2 in favor of switching to cage-free eggs (with 2 abstentions). The
committee is usually attended by less than a dozen students, but this
meeting drew well over 50 interested persons to hear a representative of
the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and an Animal Science
professor debate the use of battery cage eggs.
Ironically, UDS administrators had set rules for the meeting against
the use of visuals despite the fact that most people in attendance were
not familiar with battery cage egg production. UDS's manipulative
tactics was not limited to preventing those present to see what battery
cages look like or what chickens might experience. UDS's representative,
Professor Jacqueline Jacob, provided research in a misleading way even
claiming that former president of HSUS Michael Appleby supported battery
cages. See Appleby's letter from Monday to see his real opinion.
Although UDS administrators attempted to silence the cage-free
suppliers who attended the meeting, students demanded that those
actually producing cage-free eggs be heard. Once they began describing
their operations, it became clear that Jacob's attacks were irrelevant
to Certified Humane cage-free egg production. It also became clear why
more than 75 colleges nationwide have switched to using cage-free eggs.
Further evidence of diversionary tactics by UDS include the fact
that they would not explain how much prices would increase for students
if the switch were made to cage-free eggs. Rather, they hid behind the
statement that board prices for resident hall students would increase
0.4%. Doing some simple calculations with UDS's most expensive meal plan
at roughly $1,500/semester, this translates to about a $6 increase or
less than $0.02 cents per meal. Two cents to avoid the suffering of
battery cages seems more than fair. Many colleges that have switched to
using cage-free eggs have simply absorbed this marginal cost as they
stopped supporting cruetly. UDS apparently is more concerned about their
bottom line.
Student support for cage-free eggs was overwhelming at the meeting.
UDS would do well to mind student opinion and make the compassionate
choice to source cage-free eggs.
