Action Alert: Urge Congress to Pass Landmark Bill to Protect Egg-Laying Hens

The vast majority of eggs in the United States come from hens confined for nearly their entire lives to barren battery cages so small they are unable to fully stretch their wings or engage in most other natural behaviors. These cages are so cruel they have been condemned by animal welfare experts worldwide, banned in the entire European Union, as well as in California and Michigan, and shunned by major food retailers, including Wolfgang Puck and Whole Foods.

Congress is now considering a landmark, precedent-setting federal bill—the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment of 2012 (H.R. 3798/S.B. 3239)—that would ban barren battery cages nationwide and reduce the suffering of hundreds of millions of animals every year in the United States. Please help ensure this important bill passes by contacting your representatives in Congress today.

If passed, the newly introduced Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment of 2012 would:

• Require all egg farms in the country to replace barren battery cages with new, enriched colony housing systems that provide each egg-laying hen nearly double the amount of space, as well as perches, nesting boxes, and scratching areas, that will allow hens to express more natural behaviors;

• Mandate labeling on all egg cartons nationwide to inform consumers of the method used to produce the eggs: “eggs from caged hens,” “eggs from cage-free hens,” and “eggs from free-range hens.” This undoubtedly would reduce the demand for eggs from hens kept in cages and inspire many people to explore vegan options;

• Outlaw the practice of starving hens in order to shock their bodies into another laying cycle (every year, millions of egg-laying hens are denied access to any food for up to two weeks);

• Reduce noxious ammonia levels in henhouses; and

• Prohibit the transport and sale of eggs and egg products nationwide that don’t meet these requirements.

Most of the provisions of the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment of 2012 (H.R. 3798/S.B. 3239) would take effect immediately. This bill could help reduce the suffering of hundreds of millions of animals who currently receive little legal protection from even the most egregious abuses. This proposed federal legislation would provide a path for improving conditions for hens in states in which there is virtually no hope of ever passing laws to help egg-laying hens or other farmed animals. In major egg-producing states like Iowa, Minnesota, Indiana and Pennsylvania, voter-initiated ballot measures are not allowed, and there is no means for concerned citizens to ban cruel battery cages or pass other laws to protect farmed animals.

What You Can Do:

Please help ensure this landmark bill is passed by contacting your representatives in Congress and encouraging them to vote in favor of the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendment of 2012 (H.R. 3798/S.B. 3239). Legislators receive a lot of emails, so be sure to personalize your message so it stands out.

Thank you for getting active to help egg-laying hens!