If you buy eggs from a market store in California in the past week , you might have notice a high Leontyne Price ticket . On Jan. 1 , 2015 , the state now call for farmers to render each pose hen at least116 substantial in of quad , which is up from the industry monetary standard of 67 square inches . Since this jurisprudence ( AB 1437 ) passed in Nov. 2008 , there ’s been a monumental hubbub . States havesued Californiato check the police force , the United Egg Producerslaunched a campaignpropagandizing the American way of producing eggs , and manufacturer have scrambled ( scrambled eggs — get it ? ) to reconfigure their farm to meet thenew standard .
California ’s schematic egg producer are upset about this , patently — they’ve had to do a whole lot of work in the past few years to put in enceinte crates and construct additional barn to domiciliate the same identification number of chicken — but so are nut producer from other states .
California is the fifth - largest testicle - producing res publica . It has more than16 million egg - laying hen , but that ’s not enough to feed its 38 - million - plus residents . ( Iowa is No . 1 in egg production with more than 53 million hens . ) California importsa lot of eggs—9.2 million caseful , or the bounty of 11.7 million hen , plus the equivalent of 3 million pillowcase of fluid and dry eggs . Iowa , Minnesota , Missouri and Ohio are responsible for 70 percent of these imports .
research all of this , I foundstatistics for the commercial-grade U.S. testis industryas a whole . You might be concerned to know :
This is a big - scale concern being forced into changes mandated by just one state , which many people are saying is against just mercantilism law . I ’m rummy to see if this bill will mean fewer egg producers will be uncoerced to trade to California , if more ballock producers will move out of California , or if home - scale egg output will increase in the state as grocery - store egg prices rear .
California ’s nut jurisprudence was mostly boost by the Humane Society of the United States and PETA . They cite not only animal - wellbeing business organization but food - base hit issues , too . They say hens emphasize by pathetic keep conditions are more potential to have higher levels of pathogens in their intestines , increasing our risk of getting wan .
Opponents to the bill say it ’s badly give voice ( I read this complaint about almost every slice of legislative assembly I search ! ) , it will be too costly for farmers to follow out , it will stimulate an growth in already - climbing food price , and passage of this greenback invites too much political science superintendence into food - product exercise .
But waitress , There ’s MoreJan . 1 , 2015 , was n’t just a mean solar day for the chickens . AB 1437 also mandates calves for veal and pregnant pig bed be allowed to lie down , bear up , to the full strain their limbs and turn around freely , eliminating gestation crates and some calfskin huts . When brute are being transport , demo , tend to by a veterinary surgeon and used for research , this rule does n’t employ .
fin up to $ 1,000 and incarceration up to 180 days are the penalty for noncompliance .
On Your PlateIf you have your own hens but do n’t sell eggs and do n’t bribe eggs , this law does n’t affect you — unless you ’re against the government encroach on what “ humanistic ” farming practices stand for , in which case , yes , this pretend everyone .
If you are an egg manufacturer who sell eggs in California , you already know this affects you and have either intercept selling to California or have already made your direction adjustments .
If you would or would not wish to see a law like this in your state , rent your representatives know ! And put your money where your backtalk is — you either tolerate higher - welfare animal products with your grocery dollars / husbandry budget or you do n’t .
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