Some Utah state legislators suppose that 2025 is just too quickly to anticipate egg producing farms within the state to transform to completely utilizing cage-free laying programs.
Utah Senate Invoice 222, which might push again the deadline for which all producers should comply to 2030.
The state’s Senate Enterprise and Labor Committee voted unanimously to advance Utah Senate Invoice 222, which was sponsored by Sen. Michael Okay. McKell, R-Spanish Fork.
The legislation that McKell’s invoice seeks to amend handed each homes and was signed by Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox on March 17, 2021. The legislation presently reads that starting on January 1, 2025, a farm proprietor or operator could not knowingly confine a laying hen in an enclosure that isn’t a cage-free housing system or that has lower than the quantity of usable flooring area per hen as required by the 2017 version of the United Egg Producers (UEP) Animal Husbandry Pointers for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Pointers for Cage-Free Housing.”
The one change for that portion of the invoice can be the implementation date.
Nevertheless, the unique invoice additionally requires the Utah Division of Agriculture and Meals to supply a report back to the enterprise and labor committee that outlines the progress of all efforts to transform to cage-free manufacturing programs by November 2023. SB 222 pushes that deadline again to October 31, 2027.
Now that McKell’s invoice has been authorized by the committee, it advances to the total Senate. If it passes each homes and will get the governor’s approval, SB 222 would take impact on Could 1, 2024.
In line with a report from KSL, points with the cage-free egg legislation emerged earlier than the 2024 legislative session even started. Utah egg producers stated they have been investing thousands and thousands of {dollars} to make the conversions, however most remained 50% to 75% compliant with the legislation on the time. McKell reportedly first proposed a 10-year delay within the implementation, however after consulting with different lawmakers and Utah egg producers eased again to a five-year delay.
Rep. Jefferson S. Burton, additionally a Republican from Spanish Fork, sponsored a Home model of the invoice.
