Senate egg legislation a positive step  June 12, 2013  With all
the divisive battles and partisan bickering in Washington, here
is something positive that all the major stakeholders agree on:
Senate bill 820 will improve the treatment of egg-laying hens
and provide a stable and secure future for egg farmers. That's
why the bill is supported by animal welfare groups, the egg
industry, veterinarians and consumers.  Most egg-laying hens are
currently crammed into such small cages that they can barely
move an inch for their entire lives. This legislation will
require larger, enriched-colony cages that provide each hen with
about twice as much space, as well as nesting areas, perches and
scratch pads so they can engage in more natural behaviors. It
will also ban inhumane practices such as forced starvation
molting and will require labels on egg cartons so consumers have
more information about the conditions in which hens were raised.
The change would result in less than 2 cents more per dozen
eggs. This legislati