“The modern production practices that California farmers use today help ensure California consumers some of the freshest, safest, cleanest eggs the world,” says Gary West, a California egg producer. “They are considered humane and ethical by the leading independent scientific experts on animal welfare and behavior.
All farms that follow those strict guidelines are inspected each year by USDA or the independent testing company Validus. The practical effect of the animal rights activists’ proposal would be to double California retail egg prices, increasing California consumers’ grocery bills by tends of millions of dollars each year. Outside activists should not dictate or hijack consumers choice to advance their own political agenda,” West says.