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"Humane" Farming Issue Heats Up in NJ

Poll Finds Widespread Opposition to Practices Labeled "Humane" by New Jersey Agriculture Department

Trenton, NJ - November 18, 2003 - New Jersey is the only state in the U.S. seeking to produce standards for the "humane" raising of farm animals, and it has become a key battleground for humane advocates challenging cruel factory farming systems.

A new poll of 801 New Jersey residents conducted by the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University was released today and shows widespread opposition to the standards proposed by the New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) for the "humane" treatment of farm animals. When the standards were first published in May 2003, the department received more than 6,000 comments expressing concerns and opposition.

The Eagleton poll found that most citizens agree with the department's definition of "humane" as "being marked by compassion, sympathy, and consideration for the welfare of animals," but that New Jersey citizens overwhelmingly disagree that the farming practices deemed "humane" by the department meet this definition. The NJDA's "humane" standards allow pigs and calves to be confined in two-foot wide crates, but 83 percent of NJ citizens consider these systems cruel. The NJDA also claims that it is "humane" to starve chickens for two weeks to manipulate their egg production cycle, but 81 percent of New Jerseyans disagree.

According to Gene Baur (formerly Bauston), president of Farm Sanctuary, the nation's leading farm animal advocacy organization, "New Jersey can lead the nation in preventing inhumane factory farming practices. Unfortunately, the state department of agriculture seems more interested in codifying cruelty than in developing meaningful humane standards. The draft standards produced by the department fail to meet their legislative mandate and are completely out of line with societal values. "

For more information about the Eagleton poll and efforts to prevent inhumane farming practices in New Jersey, please see www.njfarms.org.

About Farm Sanctuary
Farm Sanctuary is the nation's leading farm animal protection organization. Since incorporating in 1986, Farm Sanctuary has worked to expose and stop cruel practices of the "food animal" industry through research and investigations, legal and institutional reforms, public awareness projects, youth education, and direct rescue and refuge efforts. Farm Sanctuary shelters in Watkins Glen, N.Y., and Orland, Calif., provide lifelong care for hundreds of rescued animals, who have become ambassadors for farm animals everywhere by educating visitors about the realities of factory farming. Additional information can be found at www.farmsanctuary.org or by calling 607-583-2225.