As outlandish as the cartoon is, it represents what the UEP has been trying to do for years: fight to preserve the status quo in its industry for the sake of the bottom line by deriding egg producers who choose not to use battery cages.

A quick bit of background: Most egg-laying hens in the United States are confined in battery cages-barren wire cages so restrictive, the animals can't even spread their wings. Unable to nest, dust bathe, or perch, each bird has less space than a sheet of letter-sized paper on which to live for a year before she's slaughtered. It's hard to imagine a more miserable existence. In cage-free egg farms, while birds typically don't go outside (rendering the above cartoon even more absurd), they're at least able to walk around, lay their eggs in nests, and perch. In addition to cage-free birds typically not having outdoor access, even free-range birds are able to go inside barns when they want.

Those cartoons should be banned, along with battery hens!!!