Battery egg resolution passed by Katharine Hall Assistant News Last Sunday the WSA passed a resolution stating its objection to battery eggs, effectively replacing them with free-range eggs at WeShop, making the University the first college in the country to do so. The Environmental Organizers’ Network (EON) has been the driving force behind this campaign, collecting over 750 signatures against battery conditions. “Wesleyan students consistently show commitment to progressive decision-making. Not buying battery eggs is a logical extension of this belief,” said Joel Bartlett ’03, a member of EON. “Yes, organic, free-range eggs are more expensive, but the couple extra points pales in comparison to the real cost of battery eggs: exploited workers, destroyed environment, the loss of family farms, human health risks, and, of course, great suffering for hens.” The subject of battery eggs has recently become a visible issue on campus, due primarily to EON’s month-long campaign in the Campus Center and at MoCon. Battery eggs are identified as those produced from hens that are kept in confined and inhumane conditions. Since the start of EON’s campaign, battery egg sales at Weshop have dropped by 40 percent, according to Bartlett. Members of EON pitched their proposal to the WSA on Sunday with an extensive Power Point presentation. The WSA then voted in favor of making the resolution. “It was time consuming to do all the research. [The WSA] said it was the best presentation they had seen in four years,” Bartlett said. Emily Polak ’05, who is on the WSA Dining Committee, commented on the high quality of EON’s presentation and factual information. She said that the WSA was greatly influenced by the large number of signatures that EON collected. “The resolution exists as a great progressive move for the assembly. We are the first US student governance body to pass a resolution condemning battery eggs and their consequences on the chickens, the workers and the well being of the planet,” Polak said. The resolution states that WeShop will only be selling free-range eggs. Aramark has also agreed to replace eggs with non-egg substitute in recipes where eggs are not an essential ingredient. “It will only be in circumstances where there is no difference. Cost remains the same. And by emphasizing the non-essential wording, it means that a negligible difference, if any at all, would exist in taste, texture,” Polak said. According to Bartlett, Aramark cannot make the switch over to free-range eggs because there currently does not exist a method for pasteurization on a large enough scale, which is required in its dining facilities. Next fall, Weshop will stock eggs from large farms such as Organic Valley and Egg Innovations. It will also carry eggs from local farmers, although not in great quantities. “This [local farmer eggs] will be what people think when they think of free range. It’s also helping local farmers and the struggle against big egg companies,” Bartlett said. Josh Bryant ’06, a member of EON, worked to get in touch with local farmers in the area. Pauline Lord, from White Gate Farm in East Lyme, wrote a letter to the WSA explaining the difficulty in competing with large-scale battery farms. “These growers dominate the market through the vast scale in which they operate, with huge concentrations of birds in small areas managed by poorly paid workers. Farmers who aim for healthy chickens, nutritious eggs, and fairly paid workers – as well as a modest profit – are unable to compete,” Lord wrote. Local farmers alone, however, cannot produce enough for the University’s need, as WeShop sells approximately 225 dozen eggs per week, according to Bryant. “We’re hoping to just get something from them, to give us what they can give us,” Bryant said. EON also received help from Lori Gruen, Assistant Professor of Philosophy, who wrote a letter of support to the WSA. In her letter she focused on suffering, arguing that we should prevent suffering and have a moral obligation to do so, particularly if it requires very little cost. “In a world in which there is so much suffering, human and non-human, it may often seem that there is very little that we can do, as individuals or collectives. In the case of battery hens, there is a relatively easy, relatively low cost alternative that directly minimizes suffering,” Gruen wrote. She described the horrible conditions that the hens live under in large factory farms. “She is cramped, unable to spread her wings. She suffers lifelong blisters from abrasions from the wire cages. When she is debeaked she suffers agonizing pain. When she is forced to molt she is starved for up to three weeks,” Gruen wrote. According to Gruen, approximately five million hens in Conn. have similar fates. While animal rights is an important issue in battery farms, Bartlett also stressed the problems it creates for workers and the environment. “Wesleyan students have shown concern for socially responsible consuming and decision to buy or not. It effects workers, the environment, human health to buy battery eggs along with concerns over conditions of animals,” Bartlett said. Battery eggs have become a growing concern in Europe, according to Bryant. “It is a trend. Europe is recognizing it and the U.S. should too,” Bryant said. Bryant expressed hope that the U.S. would enact legislation to enforce humane conditions in egg factories. EON is also working on a green energy campaign and was founded in the fall of this year. “People felt that E3 was stagnant and WARN wasn’t around, so out of both of those absences EON was founded,” Bartlett said. More information on the battery egg campaign and a copy of the WSA resolution can be found online at www.wesleyan.edu/wsa/warn/eon.

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