The bill requires a farm owner or operator to house chicken, turkey, duck, goose, or guinea fowl hens (hens) in accordance with the standards established in the bill. And the bill prohibits, on and after January 1, 2022, a business owner or operator from selling shell eggs or egg products that are produced by egg-laying hens that were confined in a manner that conflicts with these standards. In connection with this prohibition, the bill:
Requires, by January 1, 2022, hens to be confined in an enclosure with at least one square foot of usable floor space per hen;
Requires, by January 1, 2024, hens to be confined in a cage-free housing system with at least:
One square foot of usable floor space per hen if the hens have unfettered access to vertical space; or
One and one-half square feet of usable floor space per hen if the hens do not have unfettered access to vertical space;
Deems a sale to have occurred at the location where the buyer takes physical possession of the shell egg or egg product;
Allows a business to rely upon written certification that the shell egg or egg product did not come from hens that were confined in a manner that conflicts with the bill;
Authorizes the commissioner of agriculture to impose a civil penalty up to $1,000 per violation;
Makes the commissioner responsible for promulgating rules to implement and enforce the bill; and
Authorizes the commissioner to use a government or private inspection process.
The bill requires shell eggs and egg products to be annually certified as in compliance. Certification requires an inspection.
The following are exempt from the bill's requirements:
Medical research;
Veterinary purposes;
Transportation;
A state or county fair exhibition, a 4-H program, and similar exhibitions;
Slaughter;
Temporary periods for animal husbandry;
A farm with 3,000 or fewer egg-laying hens; or
A business owner or operator selling fewer than 25 cases of shell eggs per week.(Note: This summary applies to this bill as introduced.)

Read More

Statutes affected:
Introduced (03/03/2020): 35-1-106, 35-21-101, 35-21-104, 35-21-105, 35-21-106, 35-21-107.5