Certified Humane- Or So We Think
WARNING: Video contains some graphic content
Certified Humane is a respected label standing for animal welfare. For egg-laying chickens, it ensures space and good feed. But the requirements do not cover a crucial step in egg making- the hatchery. Any procedures here are unregulated by CH. The only requirement regarding the hatchery is no debeaking.
After hatching, chicks are roughly dumped on a conveyer belt that send them to a machine. This machine shakes and sorts them from their egg shells. Some chicks are injured and killed by machinery. Then they move on to be sorted. Chicks are quickly sexed and flung into chutes. Male chicks are dropped into a grinder, which shreds them alive. Out the other end comes out a pulpy mess of meat and blood. The remaining female chicks are moved and sorted, until they are put into shelved cages, where they spend their lives until they are large enough to sell.
This cruelty is all avoidable. Tell Certified Humane to require better hatchery treatment.
Read the letter for the requirements.
We the Undersigned believe...
Needless cruelty goes in the egg industry every day. Your label, Certified Humane, is one of the few labels that stands for animal welfare. But according to your
Laying-Hen Standards, the only requirement regarding the hatchery is no debeaking. This means that many male chicks are slaughtered without need every day, and it is considered humane. This can be avoided by altering the chicken's chromesomes so all hatched chicks are female. Chicks are also hurt when caught in equipment and are left to die, which directly violates section H5 of your standards. Chicks are also subject to rough and careless handling, which violates section M8 of your standards. These requirements leave major loopholes at the hatchery that need to be fixed. Please raise your standards, and make sure your brand really is humane. Not doing so is a lie to the people who pay for your product. Without humane treatment, they are really just expensive eggs with a fancy label.
