Cami Reister reported yesterday at The Grand Rapids Press Online (Michigan) that, "A good portion of the four million eggs produced daily at Herbruck's Poultry Ranch end up in Egg McMuffins, Bacon, Egg & Cheese McGriddles or some other McDonald's menu item.

"So company President Stephen Herbruck took notice when McDonald's USA announced it would partner with animal welfare scientists, egg suppliers and universities in an expansive study of housing alternatives for egg-laying chickens - including cage-free housing.

"Eighty percent of Herbruck's hens are in cages."

The article added that, "Wendy's restaurants said it would begin using cage-free eggs for 2 percent of its egg purchases. Other fast-food restaurants chains, including Burger King and Quizno's, also source a portion of their eggs from cage-free farms.

"The decisions are the result, in part, to a factory farming campaign by the Humane Society of the United States. The society calls hens 'arguably the most abused animals in all agribusiness,' citing limited mobility, beak trimming and their inability to engage in natural behaviors such as nesting, dust bathing and perching."

The article indicated that, "Dick Patmos, president of Sunrise Acres Farms in Hudsonville, said the cage-free movement has been getting stronger in recent years. His farm produces 1.4 million eggs daily.

"Feelings and emotions play a big role in the debate for animal activists, he said, but he sees it as an economic issue, too. Going completely cage-free will drive up consumer costs, he said.

"'Out in the marketplace, people have access to any kind of eggs they want to buy,' Patmos said. 'If they want them, they can buy them.'"

The article stated that, "Patmos recently spent $2 million to voluntarily comply with United Egg Producers Animal Welfare Program, an industry group that requires, among other things, a minimum of about 70 square inches of space per caged bird - not enough for animal activists.

"Compliance with that group's standards also is required by his customers, Patmos said.

"United Egg Producers auditors visited his farm last week for an inspection."

And Jazmine Ulloa reported today at the Boston Globe Online that, "Beacon Hill lawmakers considered a bill yesterday that would impose comprehensive restrictions on farms, requiring that animals be housed with room to stand up, lie down, turn around, and extend their limbs or wings.

"If passed, the legislation, sponsored by Representative Pam Richardson, a Framingham Democrat, would bar what activists call some of the most egregious practices on farms: small cages for egg-laying hens, veal crates for calves, and gestation crates for pigs."

The article indicated that, "Kevin R. Haley, general counsel for United Egg Producers, said the bill would create havoc in food production. 'The housing system it describes doesn't resemble any current operating system, including cage-free,' he said. 'Cage-free operations are so crowded, they cannot stretch out their wings.'

"David Shepard told lawmakers that current farm housing practices are not cruel to animals. The ninth-generation farmer from Warren said he does not understand why such long-accepted practices are being criticized."

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