Proposition 2 Targets California Egg Producers

I don't think this measure will pass anyway, but I also don't believe the egg industry would leave CA en masse if it did. A large proportion of CA eggs are from out-of-state anyway.

Proposition 2 would establish a state law requiring that certain confined farm animals be allowed enough space to extend their limbs or wings fully, lie down, stand up and turn around. Laying hens would have to have space to spread their wings without touching the sides of the cage or other hens.

That would practically eliminate the current practice of confining laying hens to small cages, raising the cost of production 20 percent or more, and require the industry to invest about $500million in new housing for the chickens, said Daniel Sumner, co-author of the study released Tuesday and director of the Agricultural Issues Center at UC Davis.

Those are expenses state egg producers can't absorb while remaining competitive, he said.

As always, it would be interesting to know where the guy got his research dollars.

And the co-author was Joy A. Mench, a UC Davis professor and director of the Center for Animal Welfare at UC Davis. You can visit their web site which hasn't been updated for a while...(their "projects" page announces a paper to be presented on September 11, 2001!)