California coalition fights for caged hens
Californians for SAFE Food, a coalition of public health and food safety experts, labour unions, consumers, farmers and veterinarians, have launched a campaign opposing Proposition 2, a November ballot initiative that bans some current practices in California agriculture.
The campaign fights the proposition that would require that gestation sows, egg-laying hens and veal calves have enough room to lie down, stand, turn around and fully extend their limbs.
The coalition, which includes the American College of Poultry Veterinarians and Pacific Egg and Poultry Association, says the proposition, sponsored by a coalition of animal rights groups, would jeopardise food safety and drive up food costs.
Proposition 2, for that reason, has been dubbed ‘the un-SAFE food initiative’.
“Proposition 2, quite simply, is an un-SAFE food initiative. It undermines California’s current high food safety standards, putting us at greater risk with exposure to illness and disease like Salmonella and Bird Flu,†said Julie Buckner, spokeswoman for the “NO on Prop. 2†campaign. “While the proponents claim the measure is ‘moderate,’ it is really a wide-sweeping, risky, and dangerous measure that will have costly, negative consequences for California.â€
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