Factory farming is something most people don't think is happening in their backyards. But right here in New Jersey, animals are subjected to practices that are so cruel they have been outlawed in many countries.

Warren County

TWO LIVE HENS DISCARDED IN TRASH CAN

ISE is one of the northeast's largest egg producers, housing 1.2 million hens at their Warren County facility alone. During a Farm Sanctuary investigation of this ISE facility, hens were found to be packed into wire battery cages so tightly, they could not even stretch their wings. Many had lost significant amounts of feathers. Most shockingly, while documenting these horrifying conditions, two live hens were found in a trash can full of dead birds. One was lying atop the can, the other was partially buried in the carcasses of other dead birds. Though the birds were removed from the site and given immediate veterinary care, both died in a matter of weeks. Farm Sanctuary successfully pushed to bring ISE to court, but shockingly, the court concluded that the company was not guilty of animal cruelty. ISE's lawyer asserted that disposing of two live birds was a "minor and incidental" offense, and that it is legally acceptable to dispose of live birds as if they were manure. When the judge asked, "Isn't there a big distinction between manure and live animals?" ISE's lawyer responded, "No, your honor." ISE's legal team later asserted that "euthanizing and disposing of sick poultry is directly analogous to the disposal of chicken manure." Of course, the birds in this case had not been euthanized, but tossed into the trash can while still living. The dismissal of a case involving live animals discarded as though they were simply a waste product clearly shows why humane standards are so badly needed in New Jersey.

DEAD HEN LEFT ON BATTERY CAGE

Cumberland County

Farm Sanctuary documented birds in a Cumberland County egg farm crammed into cages so tightly they could not stretch even a single wing. Most birds appeared to be missing a large amount of feathers. The hens were also likely to have been suffering from less visible injuries such as foot damage from the wire floors of their cages, and broken bones caused by osteoporosis. Dead birds were strewn in the alleyways of the buildings.

Salem County

It is not only in the egg factories themselves that these birds suffer. A truck heading from an egg factory in Salem County to a slaughterhouse was stopped by an SPCA investigator when he noticed the truck appeared severely overcrowded. The truck was carrying "spent" hens, birds sent for slaughter when their egg laying productivity declines, destined for low grade meat products like pot pies and chicken soup. The investigator reported that the birds were "packed in so tight they couldn't move, in fact so tight that they were crammed, smashed and crushed into the carriers." The report went on to say that there "appeared to be dead birds in with live birds." Charges were filed, but the prosecutor did not pursue them because, lacking humane standards, there was no necessary legal guidance in the matter.

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