Agriculture Groups Oppose Animal Rights Bill
January 6, 2012
A coalition of eight agricultural groups, including NMPF, the Egg Farmers of America, and the American Farm Bureau Federation, signed a letter to the chairman and ranking member of the House Agriculture Committee last month to oppose the creation of federal standards for the welfare of egg-laying hens.
The bill, introduced by Congressman Kurt Schrader (D-OR), resulted from an agreement between the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the United Egg Producers (UEP). It would allow for larger, enriched-colony cages and phase out smaller cages over 15 to 18 years, which the letter argued would force additional, costly, and unnecessary animal rights mandates that could leach into all corners of animal farming, irreparably damaging the livelihoods of family farmers across the country.
