Dear Animal Advocates,
The vast majority of egg-producing hens in our country live in miserable and cruel conditions. Thankfully, important legislation has been introduced in Congress to help improve these animals’ lives.
The Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments of 2012 (S. 3239/H.R. 3798) represents a joint effort between the egg industry and animal protection groups to designate realistic and enforceable humane living standards for egg-laying hens. This bill would require the creation of minimum humane standards with respect to cage size, air quality, feed and water, and euthanasia. The ASPCA supports this unique collaboration as a significant step forward for animal welfare.
Most of the nation’s approximately 280 million laying hens are kept in cages that allow each bird a mere 67 square inches of space. Even worse, tens of millions of hens are given just 48 square inches each—at roughly half the size of a sheet of 8.5” x 11” paper, this is not enough room for a bird to spread her wings. Numerous states, businesses, animal welfare advocates, consumer groups, the American Veterinary Medical Association, and even the United Egg Producers, a cooperative that represents the owners of 88% of the nation’s egg-laying hens, agree that it is time to improve basic conditions for these animals.
What You Can Do
Our nation’s egg-laying hens desperately need your support. Please visit the ASPCA Advocacy Center online right now to email your U.S. senators and representative in Washington, D.C., and urge them to cosponsor the Egg Products Inspection Act Amendments.
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