The Senate Business and Labor Committee of the Utah Legislature voted unanimously to advance Bill SB222 on February 14th. This would extend the date for housing hens as cage-free in the state to January 1st 2030. Senator Mike McKell the sponsor stated, “We need to delay the implementation date”
The 2021 Act that mandated cage-free housing by 2025 was apparently accepted by both producers and consumers. Utah farms are currently between 50 and 70 percent converted at considerable cost and could not be completely transitioned to alternative housing systems. Significant issues that have emerged since passage of the 2021 measure include the status of eggs from both caged and alternative housing introduced from other states.
If SB222 is approved by the Senate, the House of Representatives will have to enact similar legislation before adoption. Since passage of California Proposition #2 in 2008 and the subsequent California Proposition #12, it is evident that the cage-free market is well supplied and that a large proportion of consumers who are unconcerned over welfare select the cheapest generic eggs to match their budgets.
Perhaps with the passage of time, both economic realities and reason have prevailed and that now even states are reneging on their commitments in addition to retailers. Many on either side of the check-out counter recognize the implications of decisions that were made on the basis of emotion and sentiment without consideration of unintended consequences. The most important is the “Pacelle Tax” borne by consumers in California and similar states that mandate cage-free eggs to the detriment of many consumers who are deprived of choice.