By Peter Urban
Stephens Washington Bureau

WASHINGTON — Animal welfare advocates and egg producers agreed today to end their battle over the humane treatment of laying hens.

Egg production is a multi-million-dollar industry in Arkansas.

Instead, the United Egg Producers and the Humane Society of the United States are proposing that Congress establish federal standards that would gradually require caged hens more space and allow hens to express natural behaviors.

The two sides signed a memorandum of understanding today calling for federal legislation and an end to state-by-state legislative battles, including pending ballot initiatives in Washington state and Oregon.

“For many years we have been adversaries. Today, though, we stand before you shaking hands and publicly agreeing to make a huge, drastic difference on behalf of all 285 million hens in this country,” said Chad Gregory, senior vice president of United Egg Producers.

The National Pork Producers Council issued a statement in opposition to the accord, saying that a federal standard would “set a dangerous precedent” for how livestock producers raise and care for their animals.

“NPPC is gravely concerned that such a one-size-fits-all approach will take away producers’ freedom to operate in a way that’s best for their animals, make it difficult to respond to consumer demands, raise retail meat prices and take away consumer
choice,” said Council President Doug Wolf.

Arkansas farmers produced nearly 2.9 billion eggs last year worth about $356 million, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

“It’s good they reached an agreement,” said Ashley Swaffar, operations manager for Arkansas Egg Company. “They needed to do something instead of state-by-state initiatives.”

The proposed standards would have no impact on Arkansas Egg Company, which does not cage its hens. The company has about 40,000 pasture-raised hens and another 200,000 organic hens at its farm near Summers, Ark., Swaffar said.

Most of the Arkansas farms keep their hens in cages and produce eggs for Cal-Maine Foods, Inc. The company, based in Jackson, Miss., is the major egg distributor across the southern half of the United States.

Bob Krouse, an Indiana farmer and chairman of United Egg Producers, said the transition to “enriched cages” is a better solution for hens and family farms than a patchwork of state laws and standards.

The transition does come with a price tag. Upgrading facilities to meet the proposed standards would likely cost egg producers about $4 billion over the next two decades.

Humane Society President Wayne Pacelle said that “finding common ground with the agricultural community” was preferable to being locked in “a long-term conflict” with no guarantee of success.

Animal welfare advocates noted that the largest egg producing states — including Iowa — do not allow for citizens to petition for ballot initiatives.

U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Oregon, who is expected to lead the effort in Congress to pass a federal standard, said he was pleased the industry and animal welfare advocates reached an accord.

“It is landmark,” Blumenauer said.

The proposed legislation would, among other things:

—Require new housing systems that double the space available to hens, and include perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas.
—Mandate labeling on all egg cartons to inform consumers that the eggs came from “caged, enriched-cage, cage-free or free-range” hens.
—Prohibit excessive ammonia levels in henhouses.