skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 28, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Pulling back the curtains on wage-theft enforcement in MN; Trump's latest attack is on RFK, Jr; NM LGBTQ+ equality group endorses 2024 'Rock Star' candidates; Michigan's youth justice reforms: Expanded diversion, no fees.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg says rebuilding Baltimore's Key Bridge will be challenging and expensive. An Alabama Democrat flips a state legislature seat and former Connecticut senator Joe Lieberman dies at 82.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

More Elbow Room for Indiana Chickens?

play audio
Play

Monday, July 11, 2011   

INDIANAPOLIS - When it comes to the age-old question: "Which came first; the chicken or the egg?", two national groups are pulling for the chicken. United Egg Producers and The Humane Society of the United States are joining forces in an unlikely partnership to ask Congress for new federal standards for all commercial egg producers. That's an important matter in Indiana, which is the fourth-largest producer of eggs among the 50 states.

The proposed legislation would require that conventional hen cages be phased out and replaced with cages that give each hen almost double the living space. Paul Shapiro, spokesman for The Humane Society, says things aren't good now.

"It's not 'Old MacDonald's Farm' out there: it's, in fact, hundreds of millions of birds which are confined in very cramped cages where they're unable even to spread their wings."

The proposal by the two groups would be phased in over 15 years. It would require living conditions that allow for natural behaviors with the addition of perches, nesting boxes and scratching areas, as well as prohibit the practice of withholding feed or water to extend the laying cycle.

Mitch Head is the spokesman for United Egg Producers, a national cooperative of farmers, which represents about 80 percent of the nation's egg producers. He says a vast majority of them are supportive of a national standard.

"I think consumers will have greater confidence that the eggs that they'll be buying are produced in a proper and humane way."

The standards would also mandate labeling on all egg cartons to inform consumers about the conditions in which the eggs they are buying were produced. Such labels would for example specify cage-free birds, free-range chickens, or eggs from caged hens.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

A mix of policy updates and staffing boosts has helped to put wage theft enforcement on the radar in Minnesota, and officials leading the efforts are …

More than six in 10 Americans favor keeping the abortion pill mifepristone available in the U.S. as a prescription drug, while over a third are opposed, according to a Gallup poll. (Adobe Stock)

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Colorado is working to boost the state's agricultural communities by getting more fresh, nutritious foods into school cafeterias - and a new online …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021