Ohio Voters Shun Battery Cages

A recent poll of Ohio voters has found that the vast majority of the state’s citizens support a new federal bill that would enrich conditions for factory-farm hens and eradicate the use of battery cages. Conducted earlier this month by Saperstein Associates, the survey revealed that 71 percent of voters back HR 3798, a bill that would nearly double the size of egg-laying hens’ cages as well as require perches, nesting boxes, and other improved environmental attributes. The bill would also reduce the acceptable level of ammonia in chicken facilities, tighten regulations on slaughtering methods, and implement egg-carton labels that provide consumers with information about source-farm conditions. The Humane Society of the United States and United Egg Producers collaborated on the bill in efforts to tackle both the industry inconsistency of state-by-state laws and the welfare issues posed by existing factory-farm conditions.