Egg producers are doing their best to fight the Humane Society of the United States.

 

I recently read an article in the Seattle Times about a recent bill proposed in Washington requires chickens to be kept in cages that allow the birds to have enough room to spread their wings. According to the proposed bill, the cages can’t be stacked and all of the eggs sold in Washington must come from farms that uphold such standards.

 

HSUS and Farm Sanctuary say the bill isn’t defined enough. In an interview with the Seattle Times, Gene Baur, president of Farm Sanctuary, said, "The animals are still confined in cages, they're not given very good dust baths, and their freedom of movement is still very much restrained."

 

The two organizations presented an initiative in January with hopes that it would force all of the egg producers to get rid of their cages entirely. They believe that the Senate bill is a way that producers are trying to short circuit their initiative.

 

"Proponents of the bill intend to confuse voters," said Paul Shapiro, a spokesman for the Humane Society of the United States in an interview with Seattle Times. "It merely gives the illusion of reform, when in reality it doesn't offer minimal improvements, in terms of offering less cramped cages, until the year 2026."

 

According to the article, the bill has passed the state house and senate but is back at the house for amendments. I encourage you to read the entire article by Queenie Wong and decide if you think bigger cages are the solution.