Business & Tech

New Agreement Has Local Egg Producers Worried About Operations

If passed into law, legislation would require space for hens to be doubled, tougher labeling

A proposed new law that aims to give chickens more space by replacing conventional cages with bigger “housing systems” has local farmers worried about the rising cost of production, according to an article in Thursday’s Argus Courier.

Last week, United Egg Producers, a national cooperative of chicken farmers, and the Humane Society, reached an agreement to work together to create new legislation that would double the space of cages for hens, mandate stricter labeling and prohibit the sale of eggs that don’t meet those requirements.

If the law passes, it will supersede state laws, requiring California egg producers to eliminate conventional cages by 2015.

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“America’s egg producers have continually worked to improve animal welfare and we strongly believe our commitment to a national standard for hen welfare is in the best interest of our animals, customers and consumers,” said Bob Krouse, chairman of United Egg Producers, which represents 80 percent of the nation’s egg producers.

But some Petaluma farmers are upset because they say it will increase costs, which companies will have no choice but to pass on to consumers.

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“This means not only an increase in new equipment costs, but the costs of new structures as well,” Arnie Riebli, a partner with Sunrise Farms, told the Argus. “It’s a substantial investment.”

Riebli even went so far as to say that the proposed law could spell the end for egg farmers in California, adding that egg producers will have to invest a total of $4 billion over the next decade.


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