Letters to the Editor regarding Wegmans Cruelty
Rochester Democrat and Chronicle

Phase out cruelty at Wegmans farm
Saturday, May 27, 2006

Thank you for your article on Adam Durand, the investigator who exposed the egregious animal cruelty at Wegmans Egg Farm, and was sentenced to six months in jail. Durand should be celebrated, not sentenced, for his courageous efforts to bring to light the suffering of animals caused by Wegmans.

Wegmans requested the harsh sentence received by Durand — a first-time offender — in an obvious attempt to silence critics of the company's inhumane practices. Wegmans should be spending company time and money to phase out the cruel use of battery cages instead of attacking well-meaning individuals like Durand.

RYAN MERKLEY
ROCHESTER
The writer is campaign coordinator, Compassionate Consumers.

Heroic Durand unfairly punished
Monday, May 22, 2006

Adam Durand, who exposed the cruelty of the Wegmans Egg Farm, has been sentenced to six months in prison. Clearly, the punishment does not fit the crime.

Durand sought to educate the public and encourage Wegmans, a company that many consider progressive, to adopt more humane ways of raising its egg-laying hens. No damage was done to the farm, and the few hens that were removed were all gravely ill and certainly not of any value to Wegmans.

While he did trespass on the farm property, a low-level misdemeanor offense, it is absurd that as a first-time offender that he serve time in jail. Instead, he should be commended for his efforts to inform the public about the suffering of animals perpetrated by Wegmans.

HEATHER SHENKMAN
PENFIELD, NY