Iowa Senate Passes Bill To Force Grocers to Sell Factory-Farmed Eggs - National Humane Education Society

Paws Down!
March 23, 2018

To the Iowa General Assembly for passing House File 2408, a bill that would force grocers to sell eggs produced in factory farms.

A free chicken is a happy chicken.

According to a recent news article, the Iowa Senate has approved House File 2408, which would require many grocery stores to sell eggs from hens raised in battery cages. Stores that  participate in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), and sell “cage-free” and “free-range” eggs would be subject to the law.

Sadly, inhumane factory farming methods apply to both meat and eggs. In a conventional egg farm, egg-laying hens spend their lives in wire battery cages. Battery cages typically house between five and ten egg-laying hens, limiting the birds’ space to the size of an 8 ½ X 11” sheet of paper. Many birds cannot reach food and water or express natural foraging, dust-bathing, or preening behaviors. When a hen reaches the end of her laying cycle, she is transported to a slaughterhouse. Battery cages are so inhumane, five states ban or restrict battery cages, including California, Washington, Oregon, Michigan and Ohio. Battery cages are known to be inhumane, that fast food chains, including McDonald’s, have announced plans to stop selling factory-farmed eggs.

Take action. Iowa residents, contact Governor Kim Reynolds and urge her to veto House File 2408. Feel free to use NHES’ sample action letter below.

Re: House File 2408 to require grocery stores to sell factory-farmed eggs

Dear Governor Reynolds,

I am an Iowa resident writing to respectfully ask that you please veto House File 2408, which would require many grocery stores in the state to sell eggs from factory factory farms. While Iowa is a major egg-producing state, factory-farmed eggs are not the way of the future. Five U.S. states and the European Union have already banned or limited the use of battery cages used in factory-farms. Meanwhile, major fast food chains, including McDonald’s have pledged to discontinue sale of eggs produced from hens in battery cages. Essentially forcing stores to offer an “inhumane option” is not responsible, or sustainable for Iowa’s egg industry. I hope very much that you will veto this bill at your earliest opportunity. Thank you for reading.

Sincerely,

[Your Name]
[Your Address]