Link to the actual article. It’s a good read, and in no way does it try to justify the raise in egg prices. It talks about the history of chicken and egg farming in the 20th century, the supply chain needed to bring as many eggs to consumers, and is critical of how the growing demand led to factory farming and horrible conditions for the chickens.
For such a long article it’s really disappointing they didn’t at all go into how chicken farmers themselves are ratfucked by contracts with processing plants and live below the poverty line if they don’t have a second job.
John Oliver had a good episode on it. It’s been almost 10 years (holy crap) since I’ve seen it, but I remember it being pretty accurate from my experience.
I am not all that knowledgeable on the US egg industry, but wouldn’t this mainly just the small scale farmers that would be struggling?
As it mentioned in the article, the large companies will have the leverage to raise the prices (article describes it as cartelization). And are then encouraged to keep the scale with compensation and I guess subsidies.
My knowledge is more related to the meat side of things than the egg side honestly, but here’s a citation: 70 percent of chicken farmers with no other job live below the poverty line. That’s not people who work on a chicken farm (although they’re certainly not paid well either), that’s the people who own it.
These farms may technically be ‘small scale’ in that they aren’t owned by a giant corporation, but they often contain multiple times as many chickens as their European counterparts, in more crowded conditions, which is part of why disease spreads so fast.
For meat, the reason the farmers are in this mess is because separate companies buy and process the chicken, and they won’t buy from you if you don’t follow their arbitrary and frequently changing guidelines. They also don’t pay a given amount per pound, they pay you depending on the yields other chicken farmers got on their farms. And the farmers don’t have another place to sell their chickens, it’s these companies or nothing, as 20 companies control basically the entire US market.
Praise to the EU. Male chicken shredding has been outlawed since 2022!
Edit: I was pattially wrong about this. The ban is only in effect in some of the members. Namely: Germany, France, Italy Luxemberg and Austria
The EU itself is still in the process of deciding on such a law.
As far as I know most get sold to meat farms where they’re raised to about 1 year old with the other meat chickens and then slaughtered for meat. Still far from ideal, but way better than being shredded right after birth.
The screenshot puts the title of the article out of context, and incorrectly frames The Atlantic as defending late stage capitalism. The body of the article is a review of the history of egg farming.
Link to the actual article. It’s a good read, and in no way does it try to justify the raise in egg prices. It talks about the history of chicken and egg farming in the 20th century, the supply chain needed to bring as many eggs to consumers, and is critical of how the growing demand led to factory farming and horrible conditions for the chickens.
Get a load of this nerd READING like a massive NERD. Just join the rest of us free thinkers in judging by the cover.
Stop bringing logic to these rage baiters. The vibe gets weird.
For such a long article it’s really disappointing they didn’t at all go into how chicken farmers themselves are ratfucked by contracts with processing plants and live below the poverty line if they don’t have a second job.
John Oliver had a good episode on it. It’s been almost 10 years (holy crap) since I’ve seen it, but I remember it being pretty accurate from my experience.
https://youtu.be/X9wHzt6gBgI
Also, apparently they started uploading full episodes because they uploaded this full episode last year.
https://youtu.be/z3YtQleycpg
I am not all that knowledgeable on the US egg industry, but wouldn’t this mainly just the small scale farmers that would be struggling?
As it mentioned in the article, the large companies will have the leverage to raise the prices (article describes it as cartelization). And are then encouraged to keep the scale with compensation and I guess subsidies.
My knowledge is more related to the meat side of things than the egg side honestly, but here’s a citation: 70 percent of chicken farmers with no other job live below the poverty line. That’s not people who work on a chicken farm (although they’re certainly not paid well either), that’s the people who own it.
These farms may technically be ‘small scale’ in that they aren’t owned by a giant corporation, but they often contain multiple times as many chickens as their European counterparts, in more crowded conditions, which is part of why disease spreads so fast.
For meat, the reason the farmers are in this mess is because separate companies buy and process the chicken, and they won’t buy from you if you don’t follow their arbitrary and frequently changing guidelines. They also don’t pay a given amount per pound, they pay you depending on the yields other chicken farmers got on their farms. And the farmers don’t have another place to sell their chickens, it’s these companies or nothing, as 20 companies control basically the entire US market.
Only female chickens makes egg. Male baby chickens gets throw in the meat grinder alive.
https://youtu.be/udSiluTAOaQ?t=136
Praise to the EU. Male chicken shredding has been outlawed since 2022!
Edit: I was pattially wrong about this. The ban is only in effect in some of the members. Namely: Germany, France, Italy Luxemberg and Austria The EU itself is still in the process of deciding on such a law.
So what happens to them? Just a slightly more humane death before they reach a week old?
As far as I know most get sold to meat farms where they’re raised to about 1 year old with the other meat chickens and then slaughtered for meat. Still far from ideal, but way better than being shredded right after birth.
1 year old seems like a crazy long time. I thought most chickens were harvested in like 6 to 8 weeks.
I’m under the same impression, but I assume that since they arent meat chickens that they need the extra time to grow big enough to he harvested?
https://www.connexionfrance.com/news/50-million-male-chicks-saved-as-france-bans-egg-industry-from-culling/129545
^France banning culling
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/In-ovo_sexing
^in ovo sexing. Kind of like an abortion
Awesome. Thank you for the source. I knew of the technology a long while ago, but I had no idea that France and Germany both enforce its usage.
The best option is still to stop eating animal products, but this is still a win for overall animal welfare.
that’s capitalism for ya
thank god you were here to defend it by pointing out the details about how the title is really correct not just sort of correct
Nice ad hominem.
The screenshot puts the title of the article out of context, and incorrectly frames The Atlantic as defending late stage capitalism. The body of the article is a review of the history of egg farming.