Last fall the Safeway grocery chain announced it will give preferences to suppliers that are moving away from gestation crates for pigs, an additional 5% of its purchases will come from these suppliers in the first year with 10% in the second year and 15% in year 3.

Preferences were also announced for poultry suppliers that use controlled atmosphere slaughter, a more humane method than slitting throats or electrocution.  Safeway will increase to 6% over 2 years eggs from suppliers that do not house birds in battery cages.

This announcement by Safeway followed on the heels of Burger King's decision last year for similar buying preferences. Click here and here for more on that.  Wolfgang Puck has also announced similar plans to phase out purchases of pork from pigs kept in gestation crates. 

And Smithfield Pork, the largest U.S. pork producer, also joined in and said it would phase out use of gestation crates. Other pork producers have since pledged to phase out use of gestation crates. 

Wolfgang Puck, Denny's and Hardee's and other restaurant chains as well as food service providers like Bon Appetit and Gluckenheimer, corporations like Yahoo and Nordstrom's, other retailers like Trader Joe's and Whole Foods Market, hotels, universities and cities have announced plans to phase out the use of eggs from hens kept in battery cages. Ben & Jerry's Homemade Holdings, Inc has said it has plans to use only cage free eggs. Colleges and universities across the country have started or are considering using cage free eggs.

Now another major grocery chain in the southeast U.S., Harris Teeter, has announced it will increase purchases of pork from suppliers phasing out gestation crates for pregnant pigs. The company says it will also increase to 9% its purchases of eggs from chickens not raised in battery cages.

Animal Law Coalition commends these businesses, schools and public agencies, but is this enough to stop the suffering?

Voters and legislators in some states have not been content to wait for incremental changes in torturous factory farming practices.       

Voters in Florida and Arizona have banned use of gestation crates. Last year Oregon passed a law banning use of battery cages. California voters are working to put an initiative on the ballot for the November elections that would ban use of gestation crates, tethering of veal calves in tiny enclosures, and use of battery cages for hens. Click here for more on the California effort and the cruelty of these factory farming practices.

Momentum for laws mandating these changes is growing. Washington state legislators are considering bills to end the use of gestation crates and small enclosures for veal calves. These bills, H.B. 2085 and S.B. 6062, would create a crime of restrictive confinement of a calf or pig. A violation would be confinement of a calf or pig for more than 12 continuous hours in a 24 hour period in a manner that prevents the calf or pig from "laying down and fully extending its limbs; or turning around freely".

"Turning around freely means the ability to turn around in a complete circle without any impediment, including a tether, and without touching any side of the enclosure." Click here for a copy of the bill H.B. 2085/S.B. 6062

A violation would be a gross misdemeanor punishable by up to a year in jail and a $5,000 fine.

Click here to find your Washington legislators and write or call and urge them to vote yes on these bills. Tell them you live in their district.

The Senate version, S.B. 6062, is pending before the Agriculture & Rural Economic Development. Click on their names listed below and write or call each of them and urge them to support an end to cruel factory farming practices.

Marilyn Rasmussen - Chair (D)
Brian Hatfield - Vice Chair (D)
Mark Schoesler - Ranking Minority Member (R)
Ken Jacobsen (D)
Bob Morton (R)
Paull Shin (D)

The House version is pending before the Judiciary Committee. Its members are listed below.

Patricia Lantz - Chair (D)
Roger Goodman - Vice Chair (D)
Jay Rodne - Ranking Minority Member (R)
Judy Warnick - Asst Ranking Minority Member (R)
John Ahern (R)
Dennis Flannigan (D)
Steve Kirby (D)
Jim Moeller (D)
Jamie Pedersen (D)
Charles Ross (R)
Brendan Williams (D)

New Hampshire legislators are considering NH H.B. 1522 which has the same provisions as the Washington bills but would apply to all animals including hens. Click here for a copy of the bill which, if passed, would not take effect until 2015.  

Currently the bill is pending in the House Committee on Environment and Agriculture. Click here to find and contact members of the committee and urge them to support H.B. 1522.  

If you live in New Hampshire, click here to find your New Hampshire state legislators and contact them as well.

Bills pending in Delaware, H.B. 95, and Vermont, H.B. 311 would make it a crime to confine egg laying hens in cages that do not allow them to stretch their wings without touching the sides of the cages. The Vermont bill adds the birds should also be able to stretch their wings without touching other birds. Some close confinement would be allowed under the Vermont bill, just not all day.

Interestingly, under the Vermont bills, H.B. 311/S.B. 202 "offices, institutions, and other agencies of the state and counties"  would be required to purchase cage free eggs. But  there are exceptions including for public schools and the commissioner of buildings and general services.

It's a start.

The Delaware bill is pending before the Judiciary Committee. Click here for a copy of the bill and click on the names of the members of the  House Judiciary Committee below and urge them to support of H.B. 95. The bill would take effect in 2009. Violations would mean fines of at least $200 per offense per day.

If you live in Delaware, click here to find your legislators and write or call and urge them to support this bill, H.B. 95 to help prevent cruelty to egg laying hens.

In Vermont H.B. 311 and S.B. 202 have been languishing for over a year.

Click here for a copy of the House bill.  Click here for a copy of the Senate bill, S. 202, which has only the requirement state and local government purchases of eggs, with several exceptions, must be from humanely raised hens.  

Click here to find your Vermont legislators and urge them to support limits on use of battery cages and a cage free egg policy by voting yes on H.B. 311/S.B. 202

Click here to find Vermont representatives and write or call and urge them to support these bills.

Click here to find Vermont state senators and urge them to vote yes on these bills.