State Improves Standards

In a landslide ruling, the Michigan House voted 87-20 on Wednesday to approve new care standards for farm animals. The measure would require farms in Michigan, a state that currently has no animal welfare laws, to phase in more humane living conditions for animals. The proposal, now headed to the Michigan Senate, would provide pregnant pigs, veal calves, and egg-laying hens enough cage room to turn around freely. Paul Shapiro, who oversees the Factory Farming Campaign for the Humane Society of the United States, says that the organization supports the bill and that “…stakeholders have reached a compromise agreement that, if enacted, will avert a ballot measure.”