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Oregon passes law mandating all eggs sold must come from cage-free hens
Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times via Getty Images

Oregon passes law mandating all eggs sold must come from cage-free hens

The Humane Society of the United States called the measure a 'monumental win'

Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) signed a new law this week, requiring that all eggs sold in the state must come from cage-free hens by 2024.

What are the details?

The legislation mandates that farm operations with more than 3,000 hens must provide a "cage-free housing system" for their animals, providing them with "enrichments...including, at a minimum, scratch areas, perches, nest boxes and dust bathing areas."

According to The Oregonian, "by 2024, all eggs produced or sold in the state must come from cage-free hens."

The Human Society of the United States hailed the measure in a statement released Monday, calling it a "monumental win for hens confined in tiny cages in the egg industry."

HSUS announced that "with Oregon's new law, the entire West Coast region of the United States now has the strongest laws in the world for egg-laying hens."

Violation of the new law can result in a fine of up to $2,500.

Anything else?

The Oregonian noted that a handful of other states have similar cage-free laws, including California, Massachusetts, and Washington.

In 2017, 13 states sued to try to block Massachusetts' cage-free ban, claiming it was unconstitutional because Massachusetts required that all eggs sold in the state must come from cage-free hens regardless of where they were produced.

According to the Texas Farm Bureau, the egg-producing states fighting Massachusetts argued cage-free laws "have cost U.S. consumers up to $350 million in higher egg costs."

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