EBAA to Screen Rare Agribusiness Industry Footage for the Media and Public

[Guest guest]

Bay Area Animal Group to Screen Rare Agribusiness Industry Footage for

the Media and Public

 

Oakland, CA, January 20, 2006 -- Each year, more than 19 million

egg-laying hens are raised in intensive confinement for the California

egg industry. According to the California Poultry Workgroup, nearly

100 percent of these hens are confined to battery cages -- wire

enclosures so small that birds are unable to lift even a single wing.

This nearly-universal practice violates Section 597t of the California

State Penal Code, which requires that confined animals have adequate

exercise space.

 

In order to expose this blatant violation and publicly ask why local

enforcement of 597t is largely absent in California, East Bay Animal

Advocates (EBAA) is inviting the media to a special screening of a

ten-minute film documenting the living conditions of egg-laying hens in

California. Footage includes shocking conditions at egg facilities in

Sonoma, Santa Clara, Merced and San Diego counties.

 

The documentary also includes rare footage showing the egg industry’s

mistreatment of “spent” hens— birds whose egg production begins to drop

off between 18 and 20 months of age. These “spent” hens are slaughtered

for second-grade meat, without any protections under California’s 1990

Methods of Slaughter law. There is no legal requirement for humane

handling of spent laying hens, nor is there any requirement that they

be rendered insensible to pain before slaughter.

 

Join EBAA for this special screening on Wednesday, January 25 at 7:00

p.m. at Humanist Hall, 390 27th Street (between Telegraph & Broadway)

in Oakland.

 

East Bay Animal Advocates is a non-profit organization based in the San

Francisco Bay Area. California is home to one of the most industrious

and concentrated animal agriculture areas in the world. Exposing animal

cruelty in modern agriculture is of utmost importance to EBAA. Through

direct aid and education outreach, EBAA is dedicated to fighting and

preventing animal abuse in California's agricultural industry.

 

For more information: www.eastbayanimaladvocates.org.