A new Michigan law bans conventional eggs and requires grocery stores to sell cage-free eggs and above, which took effect on Jan. 1.
The new era sunsets nearly 15 years of bipartisan legislation that was set to take effect in 2019.
Joe Burda, owner of The Mercantile in Leland, has not sold conventional eggs since last year when producer Spartan Nash removed them from the Fishtown shelves.
“The way (the law) was sold is that it should help correct the price of eggs with the bird flu situation, which has been affecting inventory,” Burda said.
Bird flu is a viral infection widespread in wild birds and poultry and could affect humans.
The sale of eggs from hens confined in coops that don’t meet cage-free standards is prohibited from now on in Leelanau grocery stores, including NJ’s Grocery, Hansen Foods, The Mercantile, and Tom’s.
Current egg prices at NJ’s range from $5 to $9 a dozen. According to the US Department of Agriculture, the average price for cage-free eggs across Michigan is $3.33.
Egg prices are already volatile because of the bird flu, which has affected more than 100 million birds, including six million in Michigan, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Liquid or cooked egg products do not apply to the cagefree law.
Michigan joins Arizona, Colorado, Massachusetts, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington with the same law. “Inventory is still affected, and we get trucks twice a week, and we’ve gone three or four trucks without seeing any. I don’t see it being corrected, I don’t think it will fix it (pricing), but I hope,” Burda said.
The state law proclaims that all eggs from farms with 3,000 or more egg-laying hens must be kept in cage-free housing systems.
Only eggs from free range chickens like this black and white hen can be sold in Michigan. Enterprise photo by Amy Hubbell
Prices may vary, even as farmers and distributors have had five years to prepare for the shift.
“We don’t know enough yet; it’s tough to say with the holiday season,” Burda said.
The law also requires cagefree turkeys, ducks, geese, and guinea fowl, to be cage-free.
Cage-free egg compliance will reportedly be rolled into the state Department of Agriculture and Rural Development’s existing routine of inspections of grocery stores and food establishments.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), cage-free hens must have unlimited access to food and water and be able to roam freely within an enclosed area during the laying cycle. Farm employees must be able to provide care to the hens while standing within the hens’ usable floor space. Free-range hens have access to the outdoors during their laying cycle; Pasture-raised have access to a substantial amount of outdoor space during the day. The law also prohibits operators from tethering or confining hens for all or the majority of a day in a manner that prevents them from lying down, standing up, fully extending their limbs, or turning around freely.
Violations will first be met with warnings, fines, and regulatory actions.
Cage-free, free-range, and pasture-raised eggs are nothing new for Leelanau County, where there are more than two dozen roadside stands where fresh hens can be obtained.
Roadside stands have been a part of Leelanau’s fabric for years. The state adopted “cottage law” in 2010, opening a market for “value-added” products like jams, jellies, eggs, and baked goods.
The price of eggs sold locally are well above the $3.33 average price for cage-free eggs across the state, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture. Enterprise photo by Brian Freiberger
