Oregon outlaws production, sale of caged eggs

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on August 12 signed into law legislation that would make it illegal for eggs from cage-raised hens to be produced or sold in the state.

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begun1983, BigStock.com
begun1983, BigStock.com

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown on August 12 signed into law legislation that would make it illegal for eggs from cage-raised hens to be produced or sold in the state.

The law will take effect at the end of 2023.

With the signing of the bill into law, all three states on the continental United States’ Pacific Coast will have laws against caged egg production and distribution.

According to a press release from animal rights group Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which advocated for the legislation, like similar laws passed in California and Washington, Oregon’s new law requires that barns where eggs that are produced or sold in the state must contain perches, nests, and areas for the hens to scratch and dust bathe.

HSUS further stated that the law’s requirements are based on the United Egg Producers’ (UEP) cage-free guidelines.

“With Oregon joining the list of states banning … confinement of hens, the future for the egg industry is clear: no more cages,” said Josh Balk, HSUS vice president of farm animal protection. “Smart egg producers are already recognizing this trajectory and are investing in converting their cage facilities to cage-free or are putting up new cage-free barns.”

California approved Proposition 12, which calls for similar conditions in 2018, with the law to take effect by the end of 2021. Washington’s law was signed into law in May, with that law taking effect in 2023.,  

Massachusetts approved a similar law, which will be effective in 2022, in 2016.

UEP responds

Responding to the news of Brown signing the law, UEP President and CEO Chad Gregory said: “UEP’s farmer-members support all types of hen housing and will comply with Oregon’s new law, when implemented. Changes in hen housing are complex and costly, and they require close collaboration with customers. Our focus remains on proper management of hen health and well-being, and meeting or exceeding all food safety requirements in all housing systems.”

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