12: Bigger Cages for Farm Animals
APPROVED
What it would do:
Place specific size requirements on the coops and cages used to contain breeding pigs, veal calves, and egg-laying hens. By the numbers, these news standards require at least:
- 43 square feet of floor space per calf by 2020
- 24 square feet of floor space per pig by 2022
- 1 square foot of floor space per hen by 2020 and cage-free by 2022
It would also require all egg-laying hens be raised in specified “cage-free” conditions by 2022. California businesses would be prohibited from selling any food products that come from animals not raised in compliance with this law, even if they come from out of state.
What it would cost the government:
Not much. It might increase enforcement costs and decrease tax revenue from farms that might suffer under the new regulations.
Why it is on the ballot:
In 2008, voters passed Proposition 2, an initiative sponsored by the Humane Society of the United States, which required that farm animals be allowed to stand up and turn around in their cages. After Prop. 2 passed, commercial egg growers insisted that it did not require them to go cage-free, while animal welfare advocates (including Prop. 2’s sponsor) argued otherwise. This measure, again backed by the Humane Society, would add new, more specific requirements by including square-footage specifications. A cage-free requirement will be phased in after four years.
Still undecided? Check out our interactive ballot guide that helps you get to a decision about how to vote on each ballot measure through a series of questions.
Arguments
Arguments in Favor:
Proposition 2 showed that we can improve the welfare of animals on farms without jeopardizing our food supply. Let’s write specific cage-size measurements into law so that the California agricultural industry can’t wiggle their way out of these rules. And California is such a large state that when we act to make our food system a little less cruel, egg layers and other farmers across the nation are forced to follow.
Arguments Against:
Agricultural industry groups say this will require farmers across the country to completely overhaul the way they operate, potentially driving some out of business and raising the prices of eggs, pork, and veal.
Other animal welfare groups argue the proposition does not go far enough. This law wouldn’t require egg-laying hens to be raised in cage-free conditions until 2022, something Prop. 2 should have banned by 2015. Forget this half measure—ban the cages now.
Supporters/Opponents
Supporters
Humane Society of the United States
Mercy for Animals
Central Valley Eggs
American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals
California Democratic Party
United Farm Workers
Opponents
California Pork Producers Association
Association of California Egg Farmers
Humane Farming Association
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
Friends of Animals
California Republican Party
The California Farm Bureau
