D’Agostino Supermarkets, based here, yesterday highlighted the certified humane products it carries in its 22 stores–including veal, chicken, eggs, pudding, and pork products–and called on suppliers of livestock, poultry, dairy, and eggs to join the Certified Humane Raised and Handled Certification Program, which promotes standards for the humane treatment of farm animals.

I’ve always had a problem with the lunatic fringe of any sort and the animal welfare movement tends to be a leader in offering safe haven to those dwelling on the outside edge of sanity. The Animal Liberation Front, for instance, has a well-earned position on the FBI’s dubious list of terrorist groups for their long record of violence.

Like heirloom tomatoes, heritage meats appeal to discerning palates. With the ultimate holiday meal in mind Jeffrey Steingarten hunts down the most irresistible and rarefied breeds.

Old MacDonald’s Farm has been looking less like a pleasant green pasture and more like a house of horrors in recent years, but the folks at Humane Farm Animal Care developed a product labeling system to encourage alternatives.

Recently the Graduate and Professional Student Assembly released a position statement asking University Dining Services to switch from caged-poultry eggs to “cage-free” eggs, which are laid by hens not housed in cramped factory-style cages.