With all of the news about Cage Free eggs you might think this is a great development for the chickens but it must drive up cost for producers. Just look at the price of eggs in the stores! Well... sort of. This Michigan law was actually passed in 2009 with an enactment date of 2019 and later had enactment delayed until 2025. Also, the law applies only to producers with more than 3,000 hens, so these are the big guys.
Michigan's cage free law actually puts the burden on retailers to ensure that the producers from whom they source their eggs comply with the cage free standard. This standard states in summary that hens cannot be confined in cages and must be able to move freely in a cage free housing system with between 1 and 1.5 square feet of floor space per bird. To put this into context, that is a space about the size of the laptop I am writing this on.
Editorially, these requirements likely do not make life much better for these hens, and likely actually increase their stress levels as thy now have to compete with other hens for space, food and water in an environment where there is not a lot of room to move. These birds are still a long way from living like a chicken the way our pasture raised birds do!
It is clear that a such a change in production systems would take investment, but these large producers have had plenty of time to adjust to the new requirements before its 202 enactment, Investments made between 2009 and 2025 must already be built into the cost of production and thus the price of eggs. It is also likely true that these new production systems require additional labor, but I think the same applies. In summary, the higher prices you are seeing the stores are likely NOT the result of Michigan's cage free law.
“The price changes that we’re seeing in eggs are more due to the bird flu epidemic than this law going into effect,” said Vic Veda, The Michigan Retailers Association's vice president of communications. In April of 2024, 6.5 million hens were euthanized at Herbruck’s Poultry Ranch in Ionia County in Michigan, and over 90 million chickens have been infected since 2022. In December, flocks tested positive in two more counties in Michigan. These are staggering numbers. This epidemic is definitely not under control, and it is clearly having an effect on the supply, and thus the price, of our eggs.
So the next time you push your cart past those eight-dollar eggs in the grocery store, curse the virus, not the lawmakers!
Warmest regards,
Rob (your personal farmer)