Cage-free egg update
This article was originally published in September 2011
Initiative 1130 for cage-free eggs in Washington state will not be on the November ballot after all.
The Humane Society of the United States and the United Egg Producers (UEP) instead have agreed to work together for the nation’s first animal welfare law that would cover all laying hens coast to coast.
We believe 1130 would have passed in Washington and that the UEP realized changes were coming one way or another. The progress for federal standards has the advantage of including nearly 200 million hens that otherwise had no hope of better conditions because they’re in states that don’t allow ballot initiatives.
The proposed federal standard would double the minimum space per bird with increases starting in 2014 and more phased in by 2026! The proposal also would require egg carton labels to identify whether eggs are from hens raised in cages, cage-free, or free-range.