The Democrat-Herald is right to be an enthusiastic backer of a landmark agreement between the Humane Society of the United States and the American egg industry, including Oregon’s egg producers.

The paper is also right that the Senate chose not to vote on this issue — which would create a national minimum care standard for the hens and double the space allotment that the birds typically receive now — when it took up the Farm Bill a couple of months ago.

Though that was a setback, all is not lost. When the U.S. House takes up the Farm Bill, we are hoping lawmakers will then have an opportunity to consider the egg industry reform legislation, which is authored by U.S. Rep. Kurt Schrader, the only veterinarian in Congress.

Schrader’s bill has 143 bipartisan cosponsors, and is endorsed not just by the HSUS and egg farmers, but also by the American Veterinary Medical Association and the Consumer Federation of America.

It’s rare when traditional adversaries sit down and come to a common agreement. That’s what happened here, and it’s good for the welfare of animals, the industry, and consumers. This is the sort of agreement the Congress should embrace.

Kelly Peterson

Portland (Sept. 6)