The debate over Measure J centers on the definition of animal cruelty

She pointed out that all of the chickens raised by Petaluma Poultry are free-range, clarified that they have access to an outdoor area at least half the size of their coop, and that the company’s farms are inspected annually by the Global Animal Partnership be certified.

Liberator or perpetrator?

Weber Family Farms was also captured on guerrilla video. But Mike Weber sees something very different than the protesters when he watches this footage.

Weber described the DxE occupation of his egg farm in 2018, when Bernier and other activists broke down the doors of two chicken coops, ran through the buildings and emerged with seven chickens.

According to Weber’s assessment, these animals looked fairly healthy.

“You can’t see any marks on their heads,” he said. “No missing feathers, no blood, no broken beaks. But on the live stream as they were leaving, everyone was talking about dead chickens, cannibalism everywhere, blood everywhere. But all these dead chickens, mutilated chickens and cannibalized chickens seem to have been missed by the people who have entered our chicken coops.”

In fact, farmers go a step further in assessing these controversial interventions. They believe that it is the self-proclaimed advocates who are endangering the animals.

Weber pointed to images posted by DxE and other groups showing members weighing chickens they removed from poultry houses. They often held the birds “in ways that completely violate animal welfare,” he said, by failing to support the animals’ dangling feet and compressing their air sacs by holding them across their bodies.

Phil Reichardt said the unauthorized visits could stress the animals and cause them to crowd together.

“I fear that a lot of the birds being exploited on Yes on J’s propaganda are caused by the people who take these pictures,” he said.

The poultry farmers who spoke to The Press Democrat for this story said they have tried to engage DxE and other groups in the past but have been rebuffed. According to Mike Weber, it shows that activists do not want to change the regulations to better serve animal welfare. They want to completely blow up the system.

To support their arguments, the entrepreneurs point to regular inspections by veterinarians, government agencies and independent organic certification inspectors.

In a conference call, brothers Jonathan and Jordan Mahrt, members of the family that operates the Petaluma Egg Farm — and its three potential large-scale CAFOs — spoke about the various visitors they receive.

There are annual audits for human certification, two by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, another for non-GMO verification, and another for organic certification (which includes an animal welfare component). And a separate inspection by Whole Foods, which the brothers say has the strictest standards in the industry.

Overall, the Petaluma Egg Farm is inspected 8-10 times per year, according to Mahrts. Inspectors check how much space the birds have, their feather condition and general health, their access to food and water, lighting, the absence of rodents and amenities such as nesting sites and dust bathing ability.

The chickens in the coop

Bernier downplayed that oversight, arguing that the system is corrupted by porous borders because agency and third-party inspectors often leave to work as lobbyists at Perdue and other big companies.

On the contrary, the Mahrt brothers denied, some of these encounters were quite controversial.

“Especially the state tests and the organic test. Since these are based on laws, there is no room for interpretation,” said Jonathan Mahrt. “They check according to the law.”

Weber said that’s what separates industry representatives from outside critics.

“We work with people who say, ‘This is how you take care of your animals.’ If you don’t, you can’t sell your product,” Weber said. “We are not allowed to sell them in the supermarkets that buy our eggs unless we have the ‘Certified Animal Welfare’ seal of approval.”

Bernier acknowledged that farmers like Weber had no intention of harming their animals. But he compared a large chicken store to an Amazon warehouse.

“You want workers to come into the job refreshed, stay there long and work efficiently,” he said. “But the reality is that it is a laser edge. You want to keep your costs as low as possible without falling below a minimum production requirement. What does Mike Weber have, a million chickens in his facilities? It doesn’t make much difference if some of them die.”

Seeing should be believing. But the scene in that large, cacophonous two-story chicken coop at Weber Family Farms likely offers supporting evidence to anyone with strong opinions about Measure J — whether they are for or against the ballot initiative.

The building is full of birds up to the walls. In contrast to the chickens in the organic stables, these animals are never allowed outside. They don’t have the opportunity to peck at insects in the grass or feel the warmth of the sun on their feathered heads. For anyone who believes animals should be freed from a life of human bondage, this chicken coop is the testimony they need.

But the image bore little resemblance to the horror show depicted in those DxE videos. None of the birds observed by the reporter and photographer had gaping wounds or torn feathers or were limping noticeably. Chickens didn’t lie helpless in the dirt. They weren’t locked in cages. The ammonia smell was surprisingly mild.

Mike Weber wondered if it was their ultimate fate that propelled the Measure J campaign.

“The truth is that people die and chickens die,” Weber said. “We will be 80, 90 years old. A chicken lives to be 80 or 90 weeks old. So every week a person dies, and every week a chicken dies. If you eat animal products, everyone knows that at some point it will stop.”

Reach Phil Barber at 707-521-5263 or [email protected]. On X (Twitter) @Skinny_Post.