Rotten-Egg Law Prompts Roadside Warning About ‘Cage-Free’ Scam

For Immediate Release:
March 2, 2022

Contact:
Nicole Meyer 202-483-7382

With Massachusetts’ sham “cage-free” egg law—which allows for hens to be packed into sheds with just 1 square foot of floor space each, despite voters’ support for bigger space requirements—now in effect, PETA is launching a statewide public information campaign that gives motorists a glimpse into “cage-free” egg factories.

“Egg-industry lobbyists crushed the will of Massachusetts voters, and now the eggs sold in stores can come from birds who spend their whole miserable lives crammed wing to wing,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “There is no such thing as ‘humane’ eggs, and PETA stands ready with tips, recipes, and more to help everyone make the switch to delicious vegan food.”

PETA notes that at “cage-free” facilities, parts of most hens’ sensitive beaks are cut off with a hot blade and most hens are crammed together in filthy sheds, where they never go outside, breathe fresh air, or feel the sun on their backs. In 2019, the group released damning video footage of a packed chicken shed at a “cage-free” farm called Hilliker’s Ranch Fresh Eggs Inc.—which its owner had touted as “Chicken Disneyland.” PETA’s eyewitness reported that the shed smelled strongly of waste and that frustrated hens cried out endlessly, with no escape from either the noise or the odor.

PETA’s billboard is located on the east side of I-291, just after Exit 4 for St. James Avenue, in Springfield. The group will also be placing the artwork, which features a photo of a “cage-free” farm, on buses and kiosks in Boston and Worcester—but not in Amherst, where it was rejected for being too “graphic,” which begs the question: If it’s too graphic for the public, how can such treatment of hens possibly be considered humane?

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat or abuse in any other way” and which opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview—offers a free vegan starter kit and guides to egg-free baking and cooking on its website.

For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.