‘Egg Armageddon’: Mass. voters passed animal welfare law that effectively bans eggs from being sold in the state

Eggs will largely disappear from Massachusetts grocery store shelves come Jan. 1, 2022, unless state lawmakers act quickly to amend a strict new animal welfare law.

In 2016, Massachusetts voters overwhelmingly passed an animal treatment measure that, in part, made it illegal to sell eggs born of hens with less than 1.5 square feet of floor space in their enclosure. Now that decision, scheduled to take effect in 2022, is coming home to roost — and it’s threatening to wipe out the supply of eggs in the state.

According to the Boston Globe, egg industry representatives such as the New England Brown Egg Council are predicting that the new rules will decrease the state’s current egg supply by approximately 90%.

The council’s general manager, Bill Bell, told the Globe that “retailers are in a huge quandary,” adding, “you’re looking at just a huge shortage.”

“It’ll be egg Armageddon if they don’t fix the law,” warned Steve Vendemia, president of Hillendale Farms in Connecticut, which boasts about 2 million chickens that produce eggs sold in Massachusetts supermarkets. Under the new rules, he won’t be able to sell the product. – READ MORE