Animal advocate Wayne Pacelle said he prefers compromise to conflict.
The president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States said his organization can best promote humane treatment of animals by working with agricultural groups to achieve reforms. Many in the ag industry have been skeptical of Pacelle and his organization, fearing a radical agenda to ultimately end all animal food production.
"We are looking for a new way forward," Pacelle said. "Instead of endless campaigning or conflict with political adversaries, we now want to forge solutions that produce tangible and meaningful outcomes for animals. And that means sitting down with people who see the world differently than we do, even sitting down with industries that we've had deep disagreements with in the past."
Pacelle, 45, will be in Omaha Thursday to promote his book "The Bond: Our Kinship With Animals, Our Call to Defend Them." He will appear at the Bookworm at 6:30 p.m.
"We've been critical of the raising of laying hens in tiny cages, but our group worked with the United Egg Producers — a trade association that represents 95 percent of all laying hens — to reach an agreement on new, comprehensive federal legislation that increases the space per bird over a 15-year period," Pacelle said. "Neither group got exactly what it wanted, but we managed to move forward in a cooperative way."
The proposal announced on July 7 by Pacelle (pronounced puh-SEL-ee) and Bob Krouse, chairman of the United Egg Producers, would require producers to provide hens with 124 to 144 square inches of space instead of the current average of 67 square inches. The "enhanced colony cages" also would include perches and nesting boxes. The overall cost of the changes is estimated to reach $4 billion; implementation is to occur over the next 15 to 18 years.
Nebraska poultry producers are divided on whether to support the proposed legislation, according to Susan Joy, general manager of the Nebraska Poultry Industries. Joy said her group has been holding meetings on the proposal and will issue a position statement later.
"We are still reviewing the ramifications of the agreement and how it will affect Nebraska egg producers," Joy said. "This proposal was quite a shock."
Krouse, an Indiana farmer, said the proposal trumps a patchwork of cumbersome state regulations.
Pacelle said agreements such as the one with the egg producers demonstrate that the Humane Society is "not trying to destroy American agriculture."
"The reality is that we want to work with the agricultural community to find the best process for humane treatment of animals that go into the food production," he said. "We want agriculture to succeed, but we also want principles of humane animal treatment to be honored."
Contact the writer:
402-444-1272, kevin.cole@owh.com
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