EDITOR: I’m grateful that brave activists are shining a much-needed light on the dark and secretive world of animal agriculture in Sonoma County (“Group targets Petaluma farm, Whole Foods over hens” Friday). This is not just a case of one bad egg. Cruelties are inherent to breeding animals for meat, dairy and eggs, no matter the label. Mothers are separated from frightened newborns, agency is denied, and the brutal slaughter of young animals that want to continue living is inevitable.

The owner’s defense was that the hens in the video were not from their “certified humane” flock but from the conventional buildings they have on the property. So let me get this straight — the Mahrts are OK with having some of the birds suffer, as long as they are not the certified humane hens? If the owners truly cared about the birds, they would have the highest standard for them all, but it’s about running a business, and they can make more profit with a wider variety of products.

It’s unnecessary and unhealthy to eat animal products and impossible to honestly farm animals humanely. Let’s embrace a new ethic. Bring farmed animals into our circle of compassion and not eat meat, dairy or eggs.

HOPE BOHANEC
Penngrove, California

Hope Bohanec is Projects Manager for United Poultry Concerns and author of The Ultimate Betrayal: Is There Happy Meat?

Hope Bohanec's letter appears in The Press Democrat (see page 3).