“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.” - Mahatma Gandhi

People from Westport and around the nation are appalled by the treatment of animals within a ‘farm of horrors’ hidden away in the woods here.

They should at least as outraged by what happens at licensed factory farms across the nation where, from birth until slaughter, animals are confined to spaces so tight that they cannot turn around or spread their wings.

Massachusetts ballot Question 3 would prohibit breeding pigs, calves raised for veal and egg-laying hens from being held on confined spaces, confined defined as that which “"prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely.”

While such conditions are rare in Massachusetts, they are common elsewhere and this question would forbid Massachusetts stores from selling eggs and meat from farms in Pennsylvania, Ohio and other places that operate in such a barbaric way.

Opponents, mostly representatives of industrial farming interests, argue that the measure will drive up prices for meat and eggs, thus hitting low income people hardest.

Prices may indeed rise a bit — proponents say the amount has been wildly exaggerated — but that argument has things backward. If the only way to sell eggs for $1.90 a dozen is through horrific treatment of chickens then that price was artificially deflated in the first place.

If most consumers had any notion of the horrors that bring eggs and meat to the dinner table, they would quickly lose their appetites.

Question 3 won’t cure all that ails our factory farm system but it should provide assurance that, during their short, sad lives, these creatures will at the very least be be provided the mercy of a bit of space to move about.

A resounding yes on Question 3 will help send a message that a “civilized” nation demands better treatment of the animals it raises for food.