California Votes To Ban Cages For Hens, Give Farm Animals More Room

Voters in California on Tuesday passed a ballot measure mandating more space for certain farm animals and banning the confinement of egg-laying hens in cages.Proposition 12, also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, also will eventually ban the sale of agricultural products in California that don’t meet the state’s new requirements. That means the new law may influence how farmers across the country raise their animals. roposition 12 has two sets of requirements ― one that kicks in 2020, and a second that takes effect in 2022. By 2020, agricultural operations in California must provide egg-laying hens without least 1 square foot of space per hen, and must provide at least 43 square feet of space for each calf raised as veal. By 2022, farms in California must provide female pigs used for breeding with at least 24 feet of space per pig. Hens must be kept in cage-free housing providing at least 1 square foot of space per hen. The 2022 requirements also mandate that agricultural products sold in California must meet the state’s livestock space requirements, even if they come from out of state...MORE