Kreider Farms Responds to Allegations of Animal Cruelty by Humane Society
Kreider Farms was the subject of an investigation by the Humane Society and was found to have deplorable conditions for the chickens it houses. Kreider Farms has responded to the claims by the Humane Society, calling them "false and misleading."
The Humane Society launched an undercover investigation of the egg-producing farm in Pennsylvania. That investigation, which includes video footage, showed "injured and dead hens, including mummified bird carcasses" in the same cages as live hens, according to a statement by the Humane Society.
"The allegations are a gross distortion of Kreider farms, our employees and the way we care for our birds," president Ron Kreider told ABC News. "We are leading the industry by tearing down old, traditional-style egg houses and replacing them with new, state-of-the-art facilities. More than 80 percent of our chickens are house in larger, modern cages," he added.
That is in direct opposition to the statement issued by the Humane Society on their website.
"Birds were severely overcrowded in cages more cramped than the nation average; each hen received only 54-58 square inches of space on which to spend her life. Hens were left without water for days when a water source malfunctioned, causing many to die; hens' legs, wings, and heads were found trapped in cage wires and automated feeding machinery," they stated.
The Humane Society has proposed a bill in Congress known as the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, which "would phase in new housing systems for hens over the next 15 to 18 years, providing them far more space and ensuring that cages contain environmental enrichments such as perches and nesting areas."
Unfortunately, according to the Humane Society, Kreider Farms does not support the legislation.
"This new expose underscores why we need a minimum federal standard for the housing of laying hens," said Wayne Pacelle, President and CEO of the Humane Society.
