Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox signed a bill that would require that all eggs produced in the state come from hens raised in cage-free laying systems.
The legislation, SB 147, was sponsored by Sen. Scott Sandall and Rep. Joel Ferry, both Republicans, was signed into law on March 17.
According to the text of the bill, beginning January 1, 2025, farm owners and operators will be prohibited from confining egg-laying hens in an enclosure “that is not a cage-free housing system or that has less usable floor space per hen than required by specific industry guidelines, with certain exceptions.”
For indoor environments, the bill calls for hens to have the ability to “roam unrestricted” with only the exception of exterior walls or interior fencing used to contain the entire flock within the building or subdivide flocks into smaller groups if farm employees can walk through each contained or subdivided area to provide care to the hens, provided that each hen has at least as much usable floor space as called for by the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers’ (UEP) Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing.
The bill also calls for the use of enrichments including scratch areas, perches, nest boxes and dust bathing areas.
Exceptions to the cage-free requirements are allowed in cases when hens are used for medical research, being examined for veterinary purposes, being transported, or being exhibited at fairs or 4-H events.
The state’s Department of Agriculture has been designated as the entity to enforce the provisions of the new law. When the department issues a notice of violation of the law, and corrective action is not taken, the department may impose a civil fine of $100 per written notes.
While other state’s laws centered around cage-free egg production also call for the end of the sale of out-of-state cage-raised eggs, there is no such language in Utah’s newly passed law.
