Students Petition Dining Services for Cage-Free Eggs

Columbia Students for Animal Protection is petitioning Columbia Dining Services to use cage-free eggs in the hope that this will protect animal rights and promote a more animal-friendly policy on campus.

CSAP representatives staked out Low Plaza on Tuesday, urging passers-by to sign a petition urging Columbia to use only humane-certified, cage-free eggs. CSAP successfully procured 70 signatures.

“At the very least, cage-free eggs and fair-trade coffee ought to be available to those students who want it,” said Noah Barron, CC ’11, who supports the petition.
A cage-free egg comes from a hen that can nest and roam relatively freely inside a barn or warehouse, but generally doesn’t have access to the outdoors.

The chickens from which John Jay currently receives its eggs are stationed, according to Emma Lowrey, President of CSAP, in open wire cages with approximately five other birds. Each chicken receives about 67 square inches of space. “The chickens are subjected to a multitude of horrors,” Lowrey said. “Farmers will burn their beaks with hot water so they don’t peck and hurt one another. They will starve them, forcing them to molt their feathers to encourage egg production.”

According to the American Humane Society, certified eggs prohibit the use of molting through forced starvation, but bird raisers are allowed to cut beaks.

Greer Feick, CC ’11 and member of Columbia Vegetarians, believes that chickens are suffering from some of the worst conditions of all animals.

“Chickens have very few protections in the animal rights realm. Even people who call themselves ‘vegetarians’ often eat poultry,” Feick said.

According to Lowrey, there is a higher demand for cage-free eggs than there is a supply. She believes that farmers will respond accordingly, and will eventually attempt to meet the growing demand.

“There is a high demand for this product,” Lowrey said. “Burger King, Wolfgang Puck, and Ben and Jerry’s all use cage-free eggs already.”

Certified cage-free eggs are more expensive than the so-called regular eggs, so if the petition is successful, it is possible that the meal plan might cost more, Lowrey said.
And while Lowrey doesn’t know why “anyone would be against it,” the prospect has met with mixed feelings on campus.

“I’m not so sure I like this idea,” Sherina Persaud, BC ’11, said. “I’m all for animal rights, but how much will taking away the cage improve their [the chickens’] quality of life? There is a tendency to personify everything, but chickens aren’t humans. What’s next? How much room do we have to give them?”

Feick, a vegetarian, acknowledged that while she is not an expert, she’s not sure how much cage-free eggs will help the situation.

“Even cage-free eggs do not give chickens adequate protections, so usually I just use an egg substitute to avoid harming chickens altogether,” Feick said.

Some students expressed greater concern for the health of their wallets than that of the birds. David Young, CC ’09, said he would prefer cage-free eggs, “but would not pay extra for them.” Samantha Gemma DiMatteo, BC ’11, agreed that Columbia had to be economical.

“Chickens have every right not to be locked up,” she said, “But it isn’t fair to us to have to pay more for them.”

Sarah Cohler can be reached at news@columbiaspectator.com.