Earth Fare Puts the Chicken
Before the Egg
With its recent decision to sell only
cage-free eggs, Earth Fare, a natural foods chain with 12 locations
in the southeast United States, has spared thousands of
egg-laying hens from intensive confinement in battery
cages—coops so small they do not even allow the birds to flap their
wings.
With its decision, Earth Fare
also joins a growing list of grocery chains and universities that
have pledged never to purchase eggs from caged hens, who
produce roughly 95% of all eggs sold in the United States. Earth
Fare itself sells more than four million eggs per year. "Because of
our commitment to corporate responsibility and the humane treatment
of animals, Earth Fare is proud to have a policy against the sale of
eggs from caged birds," Earth Fare President Mike Cianciarulo
recently announced.
Earlier this year, Whole Foods Market and Wild Oats Natural
Marketplace—two of the nation's largest natural foods
retailers—likewise pledged to stop selling eggs produced by hens in
battery cages. Some universities have seen the cage-free
light, too, including George Washington University, Marist
College, Vassar College, University of Arizona, University of
Connecticut, and University of Rochester.
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Unfortunately, Trader Joe's is
still clucking about its need to sell battery-cage eggs.
The grocery chain refuses to heed the request of thousands of
its customers to make the socially responsible decision and sell
only cage-free eggs. You can help shoppers understand
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What You Can Do
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Order free "Why Won't Trader
Joes Give an Inch?" brochures to pass out.
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Learn more about our "No Battery
Eggs" campaign. |
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how
cruel battery cages are by passing out our new brochure, "Why Won't
Trader Joe's Give an Inch?," at the Trader Joe's nearest you. When
unfolded, the brochure is almost exactly the size of a battery cage.
Click here
to order your free brochures.
Can 'Em
Two canned hunting operations, one in
Florida and the other in
Texas, have asked the U.S. Fish and
Wildlife Service to renew their permits to kill endangered
species under the guise of "conservation." Tell the USFWS to
deny these permits. Hurry, the deadline is August 19! |
Drag the Net on Italy
Despite a three-year-old European Union ban
on the use of driftnets, Italy continues to use the miles-long
nets for fishing, killing thousands of untargeted dolphins,
small whales, and turtles in the process.
Ask the U.S. government to compel
Italy to obey the law. |
Silver Screen Statement
Thumbsucker, a
coming-of-age story scheduled for a September 16 release, is
generating Hollywood buzz for its portrayal of a troubled teen
with a thumb-sucking problem. Of course, we're buzzing about the
appearance of our classic "Club Sandwiches, Not Seals" T-shirt
on actress Kelli Garner, who plays "Rebecca."
Click here and select "Humane
Society" to browse the film's web site. |
End "Drive-Thru" Killing
Watch our fun animated
short, "Yak in the Box," that takes aim at canned hunts.
Click here to watch then pass along
to your friends. |
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Earlier this year, with the combination of The HSUS and The Fund for
Animals, we launched a campaigns section to give focus and
effectiveness to our work in four major areas: animal cruelty and
fighting, factory farming, fur, and hunting. I'm pleased to tell you
that last week, we had major wins in each campaign, and these
victories are a reflection of our new combined strength and your
grassroots support.
Canned hunting—The
Indiana Department of Natural Resources announced a ban on all
canned hunts. This prohibition will affect about 350 canned hunting
operations in the state, which must all stop hunting by next year.
Animal fighting—The
North Carolina state legislature passed two animal fighting bills,
including one to create a first-offense felony for cockfighting. The
Tarheel State is a hotbed of illegal cockfighting, and this
legislation will significantly impact this bloody business. The
other bill strengthens the state's dogfighting law.
Factory farming—Earth
Fare, a natural foods chain in the southeast, agreed to stop selling
eggs from hens kept in battery cages. See our lead story for more
details.
Fur—In vetoing legislation that
would have allowed the use of wire snares for catching fur-bearing
mammals, Illinois Gov. Rob Blagojevich stated that he refused "to
support this particularly gruesome hunting method that's been banned
in Illinois for over 50 years."
If you live in Indiana, Illinois, or North
Carolina, please visit the action alerts listed below. Thank you for
being a part of our Humane Action Network. Your efforts are
resulting in victories for animals!
Sincerely,
Mike Markarian,
President
Humane Society
Legislative Fund
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Indiana: Canned Hunts
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Illinois: Snaring
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North Carolina: Cockfighting
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