2013 version of the Egg Bill introduced in Congress

The 2013 version of the Egg Bill mandates a move out of conventional cages to either enriched cages, pictured here, or cage-free systems over a 15-16 year period.

The new Egg Bill, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013, was introduced on April 25 in the Senate by Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-Calif.; with Senate Agriculture Committee Chairwoman Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich.; and Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine; and in the House by Rep. Kurt Schrader, D-Ore; Rep. Jeff Denham, R-Calif; Rep. Sam Farr, D-Calif; Rep. Michael Fitzpatrick, R-Penn; Rep. John Campbell, R-Calif; and Rep. Jared Huffman, D-Calif. Both the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States heralded the introduction of the legislation into the current Congress.
“Most egg farms are family-owned, independent businesses, which provide an essential low-cost source of protein to 300 million consumers every day,” said Chad Gregory, president of United Egg Producers, which represents farmers producing 95 percent of the eggs in the United States. “We desperately need a federal statute that establishes one national standard of egg production, because the current myriad state legislation threatens to eliminate interstate egg commerce, destroying our businesses and potentially leading to egg shortages and consumer price spikes in many states,” he added. “This would create a major hardship for millions of low- and middle-income consumers.”
The proposed legislation outlines a minimum national standard for egg production and hen housing in the U.S. in place of contradictory state laws. The legislation is nearly identical to last year’s bill and will require egg farmers to essentially double the amount of space allotted per hen and make other important animal welfare modifications during a tiered phase-in period during the next 15 to 16 years—except in California, where Proposition 2 will require all hens to be out of conventional cages by January 1, 2015.
The Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2013 would:


• Require conventional cages to be replaced during an ample phase-in period with new, enriched colony housing systems that provide each egg-laying hen nearly double the amount of current space
• Require that, after a phase-in period, all egg-laying hens be provided with environmental enrichments such as perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas that allow hens to express natural behaviors
• Require labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of 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 feed- or water-withdrawal molting to extend the laying cycle, a practice already banned by the United Egg Producers Certified program
• Require standards approved by the American Veterinary Medical Association for euthanasia of egg-laying hens
• Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses except during short periods of adverse weather conditions
• Prohibit the transport and sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these requirements

Proposed federal egg layer legislation gains support

U.S. animal welfare and egg supply groups have stepped forward to comment on the recent federal layer legislation agreement between the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States.
The potential legislation, which would set national animal welfare standards for hens involved in U.S. egg production, would bring the U.S. in line with the European Union position on laying hens, according to international farm animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming. "We welcome the news of an agreement that could see an end to barren battery cages in the U.S.," said Philip Lymbery, the organization's chief executive. "This new development...is a step in the right direction." 
According to the Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, the agreement between the UEP and the HSUS reinforces the need for research, which will provide evidence on the best housing systems for laying hens to create a sustainable egg supply. The American Humane Association has also announced its support for the direction of the agreement. "Overall, we are pleased with the intentions of the egg-producing industry," said Dr. Robin Ganzert, association president and CEO. "We haven't seen their proposal, but if they adopt enriched colonies, Americans will have a safe and affordable egg supply that improves the welfare of laying hens. The American public has been demanding better treatment of farm animals, and we support any significant move in that direction."

Washington hen cage ban initiative rejected by state veterinary association

Washington state Initiative-1130, which would outlaw all commercial, caged housing systems that do not allow birds to enter and exit at will and would restrict commercial egg production to a non-caged method, has been rejected by the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association.
Instead, the WSVMA has announced its support for passage of Senate Bill 5487, already supported by the state's poultry and egg industry, which would establish a certification program for commercial egg laying chicken operations that would provide "the nation's strongest certification and audit protections for commercial egg laying birds," according to the association.
"The issue of hen welfare is not as simple as doing away with cages and eliminating certain sales in Washington," said Dr. Debi Wallingford, a past president of the WSVMA. "In our opinion, only the pending legislation in SB 5487 offers a consistent structure to improve hen welfare and an annual audit plan for verification of compliance and that's why we back it.  [I-1130] offers no plan for audit, no clear scientific standards or structure specifically researched to improve the lives of laying hens and no additional empowerments for enforcement."
As of April 5, Bill 5487 has been sent to the Senate floor for a second reading by the Rules Committee.

California bans imported eggs that don’t comply with Prop. 2

California Governor Arnold Arnold Schwarzenegger signed Assembly Bill 1437, backed by the HSUS, on July 6. This legislation bans importation of eggs from out-of-state producers that do not comply with the provisions of Proposition 2, which was passed in 2008.
The bill brings about questions of the potential compliance of enriched cages with the provisions of Proposition 2. J.S. West has taken the initiative of investing in a unit in anticipation of compliance. If this is in fact the case, the future of enriched cages may appear brighter as existing suitable facilities will be converted and new units will be erected.
AB1437 may stimulate recaging of birds in other states with the enriched system to supply the California market. The approval of enriched cages by the American Humane Association would help acceptance of the system and could represent a compromise in any subsequent proposition to repeal or modify Proposition 2.

Petition seeks to add farm animal welfare regulations to the Ohio constitution

Activists have proposed a constitutional amendment in the state of Ohio that would effectively overturn the November 2009 voter initiative establishing the state’s Livestock Care Standards Board as the final authority in establishing farm animal welfare regulations. The voter initiative passed by a two-to-one margin in November 2009.
The proposed amendment is similar to California’s Proposition 2. It would put restraints on the housing of calves, poultry and hogs and place certain restrictions on on-farm slaughter of livestock. Proponents of the constitutional amendment must collect 400,000 signatures to place the proposal on the November 2010 ballot.
The petition move was widely anticipated following the preemptive measure adopted by voters in 2009 establishing the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board. Petition supporters include local humane societies, the Center for Science in the Public Interest and United Farm Workers. The Ohio Veterinary Medical Association is expected to respond negatively to the petition.
Recently the American Veterinary Medical Association announced a policy position against using ballot initiatives to reform animal welfare. The association favors expert bodies to set animal welfare standards, stating, “veterinarians and animal welfare scientists, who have been professionally trained to responsibly advance animal care, should thereby be given substantial opportunity for representation on welfare boards.”
The State Agriculture and Rural Leaders Organization encourages development of welfare standards through legislative committee processes with expert input. This organization considers that “ballot initiatives are poorly designed for addressing complex issues” such as establishing standards for welfare.