11-23 IAN Caged Hens

   The fate of egg laying hens becoming an international cause.

Got an e-mail from Jon Bennett of Compassion in World Farming. International farm animal welfare charity Compassion in World Farming has welcomed an historic agreement reached in the USA between the Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers whereby both organizations will work together toward federal legislation to eliminate barren battery cages for egg laying hens. It will also seek to introduce mandatory labeling telling consumers how the eggs were produced.  The agreement stops short of banning larger, so-called ‘enriched’ cages.  This would bring the US broadly in line with the European Union position on laying hens, which will see barren battery cages banned from 1st January 2012… and you’ll get no argument from Homestead Natural Food producer, Bill Gale?from Middleton, ID: “ That is not what the chicken was intended to be. We are in the business of selling good food and it is really easy to pick up the taste difference between a factory egg and a free range egg.”

The overwhelming majority of America’s 280 million hens are confined in barren cages that cause great suffering.  We believe all egg-laying hens should live cage-free lives, rather than confined in battery cages where they cannot even stretch their wings.  Compassion in World Farming. International says this new development, whilst not going far enough, is a significant step in the right direction.”