On an episode of my favorite TV show of all time, SeinfeldGeorge wonders if chickens have individual personalities. He says if they do, we probably shouldn’t eat them.
Well, they actually have their own personalities, and while eating them or not is an individual choice, there is something we can all do to significantly improve the lives of 280 million chickens involved in US egg production.
HR 3798 and S. 3239 – Amendments to the Egg Products Inspection Act of 2012 – is federal legislation that would reform the US egg industry.
The House bill was introduced in January and currently has 139 bipartisan co-sponsors. The Senate version was introduced in May, also with many bipartisan co-sponsors, and both need strong support to pass.
The legislation, which would be the first national legislation to cover animals on farms, will improve conditions for hundreds of millions of animals. Here is why it is so important. HR 3798 and S. 3239:
• require better consumer information. All boxes will be labeled according to the systems that were used, so that consumers know if the eggs they are buying come from caged chickens.
• Ban the use of sterile battery cages, double the amount of space per bird, and ban many inhumane practices, such as forced starvation.
• Benefit small farmers because they do not use battery cages. Invoices will make them more competitive because it will cost industrialized factory farms more money. However, even these massive egg farms support this legislation because they are tired of the uncertainty and momentum from each state.
• promote healthier food supplies. Healthy food equals healthy people, equals reduced health care costs, and at the same time empowers the small farmer. This could open the door for Indiana farmers to provide healthier food with a higher margin and with reduced production costs.
• support a proven trend. For example, Burger King just committed to sourcing 100% cage-free eggs by 2017. Like Burger King, the beef industry is beginning to recognize the value of humane treatment and the use of natural or organic foods, regardless of the legislation. Support for this bill will not affect the beef industry and should not produce a lasting reaction.
This is a major bill supported by agricultural groups, including United Egg Producers and state egg and poultry associations; by consumer groups, including the Consumer Federation of America and the National Consumer League; as well as by all major national animal welfare groups, including the Humane Society of the United States, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
The proposal would require egg producers to increase the space per hen in a staggered introduction phase over the next 15 to 18 years. Instead of five chickens in an 18-by-20-inch wire cage (where animals can’t spread a wing or do something natural), 50-60 chickens will be in a 4-by-12-foot cage, which is a huge improvement. Within a year, the bill will stop the famine of about 50 million chickens a year.
An independent survey by the Bantam Group found that consumers support HR 3798 by a four-to-one margin, prefer a federal standard over state standards by a two-to-one margin, and support the transition from sterile battery cages by a margin. 12 to one.
Contact your representatives in Congress today and ask for their support and co-sponsorship of this critical legislation.
There is another Seinfeld episode exposing the evils of cockfighting, but that’s another story for another time.