Battery cage system in poultry
The practice of confining poultry birds in battery cages has gotten a lot of attention since it is against animal welfare standards.
The law in California prohibits the sale of eggs from farms that use battery cage methods, and here’s why.
California poultry farm
California processed about 250 million chicken products, placing it among the top poultry producers in the United States and a global competitor. In recent years, as of 2018, California voters adopted the farm animal confinement initiative Prop 12, and below is what it says about battery cage usage and animal confinement in animal production.
Farm animal confinement proposition Prop 12
Proposition 12 explained
Farmers are required under Proposition 12 to provide adequate room for egg-laying hens, breeding pigs, and veal calves. The law also strictly regulates the sale of meat and eggs from farms that do not provide sufficient space for their farm animals.
Housing pregnant pigs and veal calves are technically illegal. In poultry farming, even if you confine a bird in a cage with fewer movements, you are still breaking the law and compromising the animal’s welfare.
Animal welfare and rights
- Cruel manners of handling animals defined by the law
- Keeping a calf grown for veal in an enclosure with fewer than 43 square feet of useable floor area per calf;
- Keeping a breeding pig in an enclosure with fewer than 24 square feet of useable floor area per pig;
- Providing fewer than 144 square inches of useful floor area per egg-laying hen;
- Keeping an egg-laying hen in an area that is smaller than the amount of useable floor space allowed by the 2017 version of the United Egg Producers Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks.
Supporters of the law
Prop 12 on farm animal confinement did not happen in a year and a single court hearing. It proceeded through 2008, 2017, and 2020, and it is still relevant in animal welfare protection in California today. The bill was supported by the organizations listed below.
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