California’s and Massachusetts’s cage-free mandates were expected to disrupt the 2022 U.S. egg market. However, the transition went smoother than expected due to the industry building its cage-free egg inventory far in advance. The two state’s egg markets are predicted to remain stable as the months go on.
It is important to remember that eight more U.S. states have committed to similar cage-free laws, with most planning to have them implemented by 2025. Along with the customer cage-free pledges that have been made, other states have the potential to make the same obligations in the future.
The cage-free U.S. state mandates listed in the table below are current as of April 2022.
While no states have successfully overturned the cage-free laws, organizations have filed lawsuits against the mandates, stating the unconstitutionality of the laws. In 2021, the National Pork Producers Council and American Farm Bureau Federation filed a lawsuit against California’s Proposition 12 concerning animal production standards. The U.S. Supreme Court is set to hear the argument in Fall of 2022, with the potential decision date on the case being early 2023.
