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Committee hears bill to phase out battery cages for egg‑laying hens, with producers raising cost and supply concerns
Summary
Sponsor proposed a phased ban on confining egg‑laying hens in battery cages, applying only to farms with 5,000 or more layers and with a long transition; animal‑welfare groups supported the change while producers and farm organizations warned of higher prices and constrained supply, citing avian influenza and market impacts.
Delegate Jen Terrasa reintroduced a bill (HB 8 34) to phase out so‑called battery cages for egg‑laying hens and require cage‑free housing on large farms, drawing extensive testimony Tuesday.
The proposal would prohibit conventional caged systems for egg layers at operations that house at least 5,000 hens, allow a multi‑year phase‑in and specify minimum indoor space per bird in cage‑free systems. Sponsor Terrasa and animal‑welfare and food‑safety witnesses said cages deprive hens of natural behaviours, raise welfare concerns such as osteoporosis and feather loss,…
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