Welcome to DU!
The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards.
Join the community:
Create a free account
Support DU (and get rid of ads!):
Become a Star Member
Latest Breaking News
General Discussion
The DU Lounge
All Forums
Issue Forums
Culture Forums
Alliance Forums
Region Forums
Support Forums
Help & Search
Which comes first: California's egg rule, or everyone else's?
--- Snip ---
A fight has broken out over how egg-laying hens should be treated — and specifically whether California can be blocked from requiring that eggs imported into the state be produced under voter-approved standards ensuring that the chickens can spread their wings.
--- Snip ---
King is taking aim at California's Proposition 2, a much-debated 2008 initiative that requires California farmers to give egg-laying birds enough room to stand and spread their wings. Although the measure does not specify cage size, industry officials believe it will require that hens be given about twice as much room and perhaps more than the current standard of 67 square inches per bird, about as much space as a sheet of letter paper, while the Humane Society of the United States contends it will effectively lead to cage-free production.
Two years after it passed, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation and added a requirement that, when the initiative takes effect in 2015, all eggs sold in the state come from farms that meet the California standards.
--- Snip ---
A fight has broken out over how egg-laying hens should be treated — and specifically whether California can be blocked from requiring that eggs imported into the state be produced under voter-approved standards ensuring that the chickens can spread their wings.
--- Snip ---
King is taking aim at California's Proposition 2, a much-debated 2008 initiative that requires California farmers to give egg-laying birds enough room to stand and spread their wings. Although the measure does not specify cage size, industry officials believe it will require that hens be given about twice as much room and perhaps more than the current standard of 67 square inches per bird, about as much space as a sheet of letter paper, while the Humane Society of the United States contends it will effectively lead to cage-free production.
Two years after it passed, then-Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed legislation and added a requirement that, when the initiative takes effect in 2015, all eggs sold in the state come from farms that meet the California standards.
--- Snip ---
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-egg-debate-20130609,0,585086.story
I remember when I voted for Prop 2 thinking that I'd need to make a particular effort to only buy CA-produced eggs from then on; I didn't realize that Schwarzenegger had added that 'all eggs' requirement.
Seems like this will be an argument with far-reaching implications: the CA regulation has no bearing on the use or safety of the egg inside the state, so how far can the state go in regulating the production of the product outside the state. It's animal welfare this time, but the question seems equally applicable to labor, environment, or any other ag- or manufacturing-related concern...
