Rabbit Advocacy Animal Matters

Animal Organizations, Advocates Oppose United Egg Producers' Rotten Egg Bill

SAN FRANCISCO, January 24, 2012 — Bill Would Keep Hens Locked In Cages Despite Overwhelming Public Opposition

The Humane Farming Association (HFA) today announced its opposition to H.R. 3798, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, introduced by Rep. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.). If enacted, the bill would stop cage-free laws in their tracks, despite the overwhelming desires of the American public.

The amendment seeks to codify an agreement reached in 2011 between United Egg Producers (UEP) — the egg industry trade association recently sued for an alleged price fixing scheme— and the Humane Society of the United States. UEP has been repeatedly brought to court over the past several years for similar accusations of price fixing.

While claiming to “enrich” cages, the bill would:

Nullify existing state laws that ban or restrict battery cages — including California’s Proposition 2.

Deprive voters of the right and ability to pass ballot measures banning cages.

Deny state legislatures the ability to enact laws to outlaw battery cages or otherwise regulate egg factory conditions.

“UEP claims that this legislation would eventually result in ‘progress’ for laying hens,” said Bradley Miller, National Director of the Humane Farming Association. “Just the opposite is true. In reality, the egg industry merely agreed to slowly continue the meager changes in battery cage conditions that are already occurring due to state laws and public pressure.”

HFA Responds to the Rotten Egg Bill’s (H.R. 3798) Specific Points

For political cover, UEP inserted a few diversionary provisions. None of them holds up to scrutiny.

Ammonia Levels: The Rotten Egg Bill contains nothing that alters current standards for “ammonia levels.” The bill merely duplicates UEP’s existing standards (which allow unhealthful levels of ammonia) and seeks to put that into federal law.

Forced Molting and Euthanasia: As for ending the practice of forced molting of hens by “starvation” and water deprivation — egg companies do not advocate that to begin with. Far from changing any currently accepted molting practice, the bill merely adopts UEP’s own existing standards. The same goes for “euthanasia” standards and other empty provisions tossed in to distract from the central issue: keeping hens in cages.

UEP’s Game of Inches: Prior to the Rotten Egg Bill, the egg industry passed state legislation calling for 116 square inches of cage space per hen. With a mere 8 square inch adjustment, UEP’s federal bill calls for a still cruel and depriving 124 square inches per hen — “phased-in” over 18 years. This token modification does not “double” the cage space from what UEP has already advocated as a standard. The bill’s own proponents have stated that a hen needs at least 216 square inches just to spread her wings.

Fraudulent Labeling: As far as labeling egg cartons, UEP’s Rotten Egg Bill certainly would do that. For the very first time, the fraudulent term “enriched” cages would begin appearing on egg cartons nationwide — in order to deflect public concern — and to increase egg sales from caged hens.

The position of the Humane Farming Association and other responsible activists and organizations remains clear:

Cruelty is cruelty.

There is no such thing as an “enriched” battery cage.

No humane organization should ever endorse these abusive confinement systems.
Our state laws and voting rights must not be given away. 

Comment: Should technocrats be making decisions for us? Economists? Politicians? Animals are looked at as being below justice, which is simply wrong. As long as people think/see animals as property nothing will change for the better.

Farm Animal Confinement Bans by State

What has eyes, people conscious of their responsibility do not eat. Animal farming is a moral atrocity.