Legislators in New York introduced a new bill that would prohibit the confinement of breeding pigs, veal calves and egg-laying hens by 2015. New York State Assembly member Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, introduced the bill.
Rosenthal has served in the assembly since 2006 and has been a supporter of the Humane Society of the United States for many years.
Her most recent sponsored legislation, bill A08163, states that confined animals are unable to engage in natural behavior and "experience extensive and significant physical and psychological trauma."
Ten other assembly members, most located in the New York City area, have co-sponsored the legislation, which must be voted on and passed by the agriculture committee before moving forward.
The agriculture committee is chaired by William Magee, an auctioneer in Madison County, N.Y., who graduated from Cornell in agricultural economics. Magee said committee members are reviewing the bill, and a vote will probably not take place before 2010.
Source:
FarmandDairy.com, May 12, 2009
by Emily Caldwell