A newly passed law in Michigan will require that all eggs that are produced or sold in Michigan be produced in cage-free laying systems by 2025.
Lt. Gov. Garlin Gilchrist signed the legislation, Senate Bill 174, into law on November 21, after it received bipartisan support in both chambers of the state legislature. Gilchrist signed the bill in the absence of Gov. Gretchen Whitmer, who was out of the country on a trade mission.
The bill amended the Michigan Animal Industry Act, which set the state’s first-ever cage-free hen housing standard. According to Michigan Allied Poultry Industries (MAPI), the new law aligns the needs of farmers with commitments made by egg retailers, who have promised to sell only cage-free eggs by 2025.
Gilchrist stated: “Michigan is known for having one of the most diverse agricultural and farming industris in the nation. Signing this bill is the right thing to do. This will ensure that our standards are amongst the strongest in the nation when it comes to protecting animal welfare, while ensuring that egg producers are able to continue to thrive.
Michigan is currently the sixth largest egg-producing state in the nation, and is now the largest egg producing state to have laws in place that will require cage-free egg production. Other states to pass such laws include California, Washington, Oregon and Rhode Island.
According to MAPI, 8.5 million Michigan hens are currently living in cage-free housing, which accounts for about 56% of the state’s layer population. An additional 6% of the state’s hens are expected to live in cage-free housing by the end of 2020.
Eight and a half million Michigan hens are currently living in cage-free houses, approximately 56 percent of the total egg-laying hen population. Another million (6 percent) will live cage-free by the end of 2020.
Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch, the 11th largest egg producer in the United States and 25th largest egg producer in the world, is Michigan’s largest egg company. It is headquartered in Saranac, Michigan.
Egg industry leaders respond
Allison Brink, executive director of MAPI praised Gilchrist for signing the bill into law.
“Signing Senate Bill 174 into law ends the uncertainty in Michigan’s animal housing for egg laying hens,” said Allison Brink, executive director of MAPI. “When this law takes effect, Michigan will lead the nation in cage free egg production as we fully safeguard both egg-laying hens and the family farms who are among the leading egg producers in the U.S.”
However, Ken Klippen, president of the National Association of Egg Farmers, felt the decision was a bad one, saying the association disagrees with Gilchrist’s statements.
"The new cage-free law in Michigan is another attempt to regulate the commerce of eggs being shipped into the state which is a violation of the commerce clause of the U.S. Constitution. Furthermore, cage-free egg production leads to more mortality than conventional cages layers so how could it lead to protecting animal welfare. These points were made known with the scientific references cited for the Michigan Office of Policy in hopes the Governor would veto the misguided legislation," said Klippen.
