Scary Egg Bill

Agriculture and food lobbyists call the “egg bill” a very scary proposition, and there is good reason for that. Other livestock producers are keeping a close eye on what happens with HR 3798 as most of them see it as an HSUS platform to pursue broader restrictions on animal agriculture production, perhaps even for the HSUS to go so far as to try to attach similar egg bill language to the next farm bill. HR 3798 has very specific requirements on the size of hen housing, as well as maximum caps on ammonia levels, and a new labeling regime. The HSUS claims that their intentions with this bill are confined only to eggs. But their very aggressive and litigious history of attacking pork and dairy producers easily leaves one to believe that they protest the focus of their intent too much. It is highly unlikely that this bill can go through Congress and not have further reaching ramifications on the rest of agriculture. Ag producers need to remember that the squeaky wheel gets the grease; they need to make their concerns known to lawmakers loudly and often, because the HSUS is no longer just a squeaky wheel, it has become a roaring 747 going at breakneck speed towards its main goal, the abolition of animal agriculture.