SALEM, Ore. - The group Oregonians for Humane Farms is filing a ballot measure to give egg-laying hens more room. The move is the latest twist in an on-going debate over how chickens should be treated in the Oregon.
Earlier this month, state lawmakers passed a bill that would gives hens more room. But animal rights groups call the bill "weak" and "industry-backed."
Paul Shapiro speaks for the Humane Society of the United States, the group behind the ballot measure.
"Quite frankly, the legislation is very close to being anemic," Shapiro said. "It takes a very long time, until the year 2026, before it's actually implemented. And even by the in keeps birds in very cramped cages."
Shapiro says the new measure would provide cage-free conditions and it would be implemented earlier, by 2019. Supporters need to gather 80,000 valid signatures to get the measure on the November ballot.
Shapiro says the Humane Society of the United States is working on getting a similar measure approved by voters in Washington state.
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Oregonians for Humane Farms
