The vast majority of eggs in the US comes from hens living in dismal conditions. Under current regulations, most hens legally live in cages so small that they can’t even spread their wings, packed into spaces the size of one piece of paper per hen. The new bill before Congress—H.R. 3798, or The Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012—aims to give hens more living space and ban some other harsh practices (such as forcing hens to molt by starving them). The bill has some unlikely partners backing it: The Humane Society of the United States has joined forces with United Egg Producers, the organization that represents the interests of the companies producing about 95 percent of the country’s eggs. The animal rights group likes the legislation because it offers relief from the miserable living conditions of laying hens. The egg industry likes the bill because it would make streamlining operations easier, as opposed to working with the current patchwork of different state laws. “Egg producers should have a level playing field—not have different, costly rules in all 50 states,” says Gene Gregory, president and CEO of United Egg Producers. “That’s where we are heading if we don’t pass this federal legislation.” No matter who’s backing it, the bill sounds like a win-win situation: More humane conditions for the hens, and easier-to-follow regulations for egg producers. If the law passes, it would be the first federal law that takes the emotional wellbeing of farm animals into account. The proposed legislation would:
Require conventional battery cages to be replaced with new enriched cages that double the amount of current spaceRequire that all egg-laying hens be provided with perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areasRequire labeling on all egg cartons to list the method used to produce the eggs—“eggs from caged hens,” “eggs from hens in enriched cages,” “eggs from cage-free hens” and “eggs from free-range hens"Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhousesProhibit the transport and sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these life-enriching practices
To be clear, most hens operating under these proposed conditions still wouldn’t be producing the most nutritious eggs. Studies have found that hens raised on pastures where they can eat lots of green grass and forage for bugs produce nutritionally superior eggs to their caged counterparts. But the legislation could help reduce the rates of foodborne illness, as eggs from cage-raised hens were shown to be up to 21 times more likely to harbor Salmonella, according to a 2008 study from Belgium. So what can you do to make sure your eggs come from happy cluckers? Find easy ways to urge your representatives to support the more humane egg legislation at The Humane Society of the United States, and locate sustainable farmers who raise hens in more spacious living conditions at Local Harvest.
