Colorado cage-free egg bill signed into law

A bill that requires laying hens raised in Colorado to be raised in cage-free operating systems has been signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. The law will also require that eggs sold in the state be from cage-free systems.

Roy Graber Headshot
LukaszTyrala, Freeimages.com
LukaszTyrala, Freeimages.com

A bill that requires laying hens raised in Colorado to be raised in cage-free operating systems has been signed into law by Gov. Jared Polis. The law will also require that eggs sold in the state be from cage-free systems.

The legislation, HB20-1343, was sponsored by Rep. Dylan Roberts and Sen. Kerry Donovan, both Democrats. After gaining legislative approval, Polis signed the bill on July 1.

According to the language of the bill, effective January 1, 2023, hens cannot be confined in enclosures with less than one square foot of usable floor space per hen.

Effective January 1, 2025, hens in cage-free housing systems must have at least one square foot of usable floor space per hen if the hens have unfettered access to vertical space, or one and one-half square feet of usable floor space per hen if the hens to don’t have unfettered access to vertical space.

HB20-1343 also prohibits businesses from selling eggs not produced according to the aforementioned standards, effective January 1, 2023.

Under the legislation, the Colorado Commissioner of Agriculture is authorized to impose a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per violation. The commissioner will also be tasked with promulgating rules to implement and enforce the bill.

Under the law, shell eggs and egg products must be annually certified as in compliance.

The following are exempt from the bill's requirements:

  • Medical research;
  • Veterinary purposes;
  • Transportation;
  • A state or county fair exhibition, a 4-H program, and similar exhibitions;
  • Slaughter;
  • Temporary periods for animal husbandry;
  • A farm with 3,000 or fewer egg-laying hens; or
  • A nonfarm business owner or operator with each location selling fewer than 25 cases of shell eggs per week if all locations owned or operated by the business sell fewer than 100 cases of shell eggs per week.

With the passage of the bill, Colorado joins California, Oregon, Washington, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Michigan as states with cage-free egg laws in place. Similar legislation is under consideration in Arizona, Maine and Hawaii.

Page 1 of 358
Next Page