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Michigan cage-free egg bill sent to Governor

Legislation requiring cage-free housing by 2024 in Michigan is headed to the governor’s desk.

The Michigan House passed seven bills on the state’s animal agriculture laws this week which includes that eggs sold in Michigan be cage-free in the next five years.

Michigan Allied Poultry Industry executive director Allison Brink tells Brownfield egg producers are spending more than $600 million on the state’s 15 million laying hens to meet standards required by large restaurant and grocery chains.

“Michigan egg farmers support the alignment between industry and advocacy to achieve animal welfare and cage-free housing standards here in Michigan that both protect our egg-laying hens and our farmers.”

Michigan will become the fifth state to require cage-free housing along with California, Washington, Oregon, and Rhode Island.  Michigan is sixth in the nation for egg production and would be the largest egg-producing state to have a cage-free housing requirement.

The multi-bill legislation also updates biosecurity efforts, disease outbreak response, and livestock indemnification standards as part of the state’s Animal Industry Act, the first revisions in more than 20 years.