Feathers Fly Over Hens in Cages

Sacbee.com: The fate of the state's 19 million egg-laying hens is coming to a polling place near you and would effectively ban farms from raising hens in cages. The United Egg Producers predicts the measure would triple the cost of eggs, drive the industry out of the state and deprive consumers of fresh, safe California eggs. "Californians are already reeling from skyrocketing gas and food prices," said Julie Buckner, a spokeswoman for the No on Proposition 2 campaign. "The last thing they need is to go to the supermarket and pay higher prices for a dozen eggs." Supporters, including the Humane Society of the United States, say it would add only about a penny to the cost of an egg - and end the practice of cramming hens into cages so small they can't even turn around. A Field Poll released last month showed the measure leading by the highest margin of any initiative - 63 percent to 24 percent, with 13 percent undecided. But opponents noted that few respondents - only 16 percent - were aware of the issue. They say the polling was skewed by the measure's original title, The California Prevention of Farm Animal Cruelty Act, which has since been changed by the attorney general's office to "Standards for Confining Farm Animals."

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