Source: Rita Jane Gabbett, MEATINGPLACE, 1/24/12

The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers announced they would make passage of H.R. 3798, the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012, a top legislative priority this year.

Introduced this week by Reps. Kurt Schrader (D-Ore.), Jeff Denham (R-Calif.), Elton Gallegly (R-Calif.) and Sam Farr (D-Calif.), the bill would require egg producers to essentially double the space allotted per hen and make other animal welfare improvements. It would also set labeling requirements for eggs and new air-quality standards for hen houses.

Meat industry cries foul
Less enthusiastic are the National Pork Producers Council and the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association. Both issued statements opposing the bill on the grounds that it would set a dangerous precedent in terms of federal regulation of animal housing.

“This HSUS-backed legislation would set a dangerous precedent that could let Washington bureaucrats dictate how livestock and poultry producers raise and care for their animals,” said NPPC President Doug Wolf, a hog farmer from Lancaster, Wis. “If enacted, it would open Pandora’s Box for special interest groups to pursue similar federal laws on pig farmers, dairy farmers and other family farming operations.”
National Cattlemen’s Beef Association President Bill Donald echoed NPPC’s concerns, saying, “This ill-conceived legislation could set the model for a one-size-fits-all approach to cattle production…This legislation won’t improve animal health or care and will result in further costly and burdensome regulations being placed on America’s food producers.”

History
The legislation would in effect codify an agreement the Humane Society of the United States came to with the egg industry last year.

HSUS agreed to forego trying to pass state ballot initiatives that would dictate egg production practices and to stop 10 years of litigation against any undercover investigations of the egg industry in exchange for egg producers nearly doubling the size of their cages for laying hens, according to NPPC.

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