Posted November 11, 2014
Six states
are in federal court fighting a California ban on eggs sold from hens kept in
cramped cages, according to an Omaha article available here.
Food Safety News also published an article available here
and Modern Farmer here.
On October
24, the governor of Iowa and the
attorneys general of Missouri, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Kentucky filed
a notice to appeal a U.S. district court’s dismissal of their case arguing that
the law forces farmers in other states to make costly operation changes and
violates the U.S. Constitution.
“We don’t want a trade war in America, but we think that
California is dead wrong on this,” said Iowa Gov. Terry Branstad.
Most U.S. egg producers use battery cages, which California
phased out in 2008 based on concerns about how limited of space hens would have
to stand up and turn around, according to Food
Safety News.
Battery cages are complex systems for feeding and watering,
waste disposal, and egg collecting. They also help prevent disease and turn out
cleaner eggs according to egg producers.
Battery cages give each hen 67 square inches of space, which
is less than a standard sheet of paper. Many California egg producers are
switching to cages that will give each bird 116 square inches of space. A
farmer stated the change would force prices to rise by 10 to 15 cents a
dozen, according to Modern
Farmer.
“What
farmers and ranchers need to recognize is that consumers are demanding higher
animal welfare,” said
Joe Maxwell, farmer, former lieutenant governor of Missouri, and vice
president of the Humane Society of the United States.
Missouri
farmers, who export one-third of their eggs to California, must now decide
whether to invest more than $120 million to meet the law’s January 1 deadline
or to stop selling to California, according to Omaha.
Three
additional states – Michigan, Oregon, and Washington – have now passed
mandatory laws requiring more space for hens. Ohio has banned the construction
of new battery cages, and a proposal for a national standard was dropped from
the 2014 farm bill.
For more information on animal welfare, please visit the
National Agricultural Law Center’s website here. For more information on farm animal confinement statutes, including those mentioned in this article, click here.
