US Consumer Egg Prices Could Rise by 25 Percent if Animal Ri

[TC]

Good Grief Don't They have any thing better to do...
US Consumer Egg Prices Could Rise by 25 Percent if Animal RightsActivists Get Their Way

Following their California Prop2 victory HSUS initiated similar legislation in Connecticut, Illinois, Maine, Michigan, and New York. If Michigan Governor, Jennifer Granholm, signs HB5127 into law, Michigan will become the seventh state to ban gestation crates, the fifth to ban veal crates and the second to ban battery cages.


Below is a press release from United Egg Producers with important cost information on the impact to consumers from animal rights activist driven legislation.

Susan Wolf
Sportsmen's and Animal Owners' Voting Alliance - http://saova.org
Issue lobbying and working to identify and elect supportive legislators

US Consumer Egg Prices Could Rise by 25 Percent if Animal Rights Activists Get Their Way


Gov't Spending on Food Assistance for the Needy Would Increase by $169 million

Cheap Imports Would Increase Food Safety Dangers


WASHINGTON, Oct. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- Consumers would be forced to pay 25 percent more for eggs soon if animal rights activists succeed in getting only non-cage eggs sold in the U.S., according to a new study by a respected economic consulting group. That increase would cost consumers $2.6 billion more each year for eggs, a nutritional staple in the American diet. The higher costs would strain Americans' budgets during a difficult economic climate.



Federal spending on food assistance programs for children and the needy also would increase by $169 million annually if the government could only purchase cage-free eggs, according to the study by Promar International, a Washington, D.C. economic consulting firm. Significant amounts of eggs are purchased for the school lunch and breakfast program ($47 million annually); Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC-$100 million); and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP-formerly the Food Stamp Program).

The study predicts that such a dramatic consumer cost increase could open the door to a sharp rise in egg imports from other countries that have far lower food safety and animal welfare standards than the United States. Egg imports could rise from virtually zero today to 7 billion eggs annually, seriously straining the ability of the U.S. government's food safety inspection system.



"If we have to start importing eggs into this country we will increase our food safety risks," said Gene Gregory, president of United Egg Producers, a national cooperative of U.S. family egg farmers. "I don't think American consumers really want to play Russian Roulette with every carton of eggs they buy, which is essentially what would happen if we allow special interest groups to force a ban on the most modern, sanitary egg housing systems in the world. Those systems are used to produce 95 percent of the eggs that American consumers buy every day."

"More imports would also likely increase the carbon footprint of a dozen eggs since they would be transported over long distances," Gregory added.



Bans on modern cage housing systems already are being implemented in California over the next 5 years and several other states because of pressure from animal rights groups.

Similar bans are being implemented in Germany next year and in many European countries in the next few years, which will not necessarily improve the health and welfare of chickens and may have negative consequences for the environment, consumer and government costs, and endangering food safety.



USDA statistics indicate that on average during early September 2009, one dozen grade A "regular" eggs were advertised at retail for $1.00 per dozen compared to $1.59 per dozen for cage-free. Cage-free eggs cost more because they require more land, more labor, more energy and more food per hen, Tom Earley, the author of the study, explained. Cage-free chickens also tend to have more diseases which need to be treated with expensive medicines, and they have higher mortality rates.



American consumers currently have the right to choose (and buy) whatever type of egg they prefer and can afford: "regular" eggs from modern, sanitary cage housing systems; cage-free (no access to outdoors); or free range (at least some access to outdoors). Approximately 95 percent of American consumers choose "regular" eggs when they make their purchase decisions at the grocery store and eggs are among the lowest cost sources of high-quality protein, making them an ideal meal solution for low-income Americans. The need for food assistance nationwide has increased 30 percent throughout the last year, according to the website for Feeding America, the nation's leading domestic hunger relief organization, which says that 35 million people are at risk of hunger in America.



Eggs are produced commercially in 49 states. Nearly all commercial egg farms in the U.S. are family-owned farms or farmer co-ops; there is only one publicly traded company. Approximately 95 percent of egg-laying hens in the U.S. are housed in modern cage facilities. The cost to farmers of converting their modern hen houses into cage-free facilities would be $7.5 billion, the study estimates. The availability of credit and local permits could be a major obstacle for many farmers.



http://tinyurl.com/yabqktf



About United Egg Producers

United Egg Producers (UEP) is the nation's leading farmer cooperative for U.S. egg farmers, representing 97 percent of U.S. egg farmers, whose members produce eggs including modern cage production, cage-free, free range, organic and other specialty eggs. UEP is based in Alpharetta, GA. To learn more about the egg industry visit http://www.uepcertified.com.

SOURCE United Egg Producers

[Pine Mt Beagles]

T.C.
I READ THAT EARLIER TODAY,I DON'T THINK IT WILL HAPPEN,,AT LEAST I SURE HOPE NOT,,,,, BUT I THINK THE SOURCE ABOUT SAY'S IT ALL---------------------------SOURCE United Egg Producers
DID YOU READ THE PROPOSAL I MISSED MOST, OF IT ,IT WAS SOMETHING ABOUT TAXING THE DAIRY FARMERS ,SOMETHING ABOUT THE FEED AND MANURE, I LOST THE SITE BEFORE, I GOT TO READ IT ALL,,AND AS YOU GUY'S SO OFTEN,POINT OUT, I AM NOT VERY GOOD AT RESEARCH,AND NOT BEING COMPUTER SAVY,AND YEA I KNOW I DON'T TYPE OR SPELL TO GOOD SOMETIMES,,AS WELL,,,,,,,,

[TC]

The problem with this legislation is that it will put a lot of egg producer's out of business and we will be buying eggs from other countries which you guessed it no fresh eggs these eggs will be at least 3 weeks old before they hit the store shelf. These chickens will not have regulations like the current system has and who knows what chemicals foreign chicken farmers feed their chickens. And what the heck matters if that chicken is in a cage at least it is a happy hen or she wouldn't lay eggs for any farmer knows a unhappy hen don't lay eggs. Besides those of you that have a place big enough for a hen house just might think about getting you a few setting hens for eggs will be out outrageous to purchase.

This legislation has already been approved in 6 states, what is to stop them in other states if the city dwellers believe eggs come from cartons and approve of this? Heck there is people that think beef comes in shrink wrap packages miraculously appears in the stores. Most people in the city have no idea what it takes to raise a chicken or a cow or a pig and what is the best way to keep them from disease and harm, and those are the idiots telling us how to raise our animals.

[Pine Mt Beagles]

SOME DARN GOOD POINTS T.C.

[Newt]

I wish truckers would go on strike in this country until they irrigated the San Joaquin Valley, agreed to drill for oil offf the continental shelf and the north slope of Alaska, and removed all restrictions on growing food in this country.
The inmates are running the asylum. The folks who hate America will never stop until citizens get hungry and cold and put a stop to it.

[Pine Mt Beagles]

DARN--NEWT BAD AS I HATE TO I AGREE WITH YOU ,,WE NEED MORE CONTROL OF OUR COUNTRY AND THE CAREER POLITICIANS ARE NOT THE ANSWER,,,,,,,,

[TC]

I wish truckers would go on strike in this country until they irrigated the San Joaquin Valley, agreed to drill for oil offf the continental shelf and the north slope of Alaska, and removed all restrictions on growing food in this country.
The inmates are running the asylum. The folks who hate America will never stop until citizens get hungry and cold and put a stop to it.

This may happen sooner then you think. Eggs are a main source in just about any cooked item in the household. If you think about it eggs are an ingredient just about every food item. These nut jobs are closing down some water systems for a fish that no one eats in California, one of the largest fresh produce producing states in the United States, once the farm land lays fallow for a period of time no one will be able to repair this cheaply and will end up out sourcing our food supply like China does, we will be a third world country because of nut jobs thinking the only way is vegan, well they just cut off their source by closing watering systems to the farm land for fish... good choice, but one bright side to this is they will be starving right along with the rest of us...

[Newt]

After thinking about it I suspect that Obama supporters are waiting for a catastrophe. If the truckers were to go on strike, I suspect that he would take over the trucking industry, and hire new drivers to offset the "emergency". Trucking, like banking, and the auto industry is too important to fail.