A new bill has been introduced in the Arizona Legislature that would phase out the use of cages in egg production or sale of eggs from cage-raised hens.
Rep. Timothy Dunn introduced House Bill 2724, saying that the legislation was based off of a compromise between the state’s largest egg company, Hickman’s Family Farms, and the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), which lobbied voters and legislatures in other states where laws have been passed that do away with the sale or production of cage-raised eggs.
Dunn, a grain farmer who serves as chairman of the House Land and Agriculture Committee, told the Phoenix New Times he was approached by Hickman’s, which asked him to introduce the bill. According to Dunn, the proposed bill is a result of something that Hickman’s negotiated with HSUS and is something Hickman’s believes it “can live with, to stay in business.”
Under Dunn’s bill, egg producers would be required to start giving hens more space by the end of 202. Effective December 31, commercial egg farms would not be allowed to confine laying hens to an area smaller than one square foot per bird.
Effective December 31, 2024, egg producers in Arizona would need to remove all caged laying systems and give the hens at least one square foot of “usable floor space” in a multilevel aviary, or one and a half square feet of space in a single-level system.
Hickman’s is headquartered in Dunn’s district.
Presently, six states have adopted cage-free egg legislation. According to Egg Industry, Those states are Washington, Oregon, California, Michigan, Massachusetts and Rhode Island.
National Egg Farmers opposes the measure and wrote to Dunn, requesting he reconsider the piece of legislation.
Hickman’s Family Farms has a layer flock of 5.6 million hens. In addition to having hens in Arizona, the company also has layers in Colorado.
Rose Acre Farms, the second largest egg company in the United States, also has a presence in Arizona.
