California super markets, just like super markets everywhere in the country, carry cage-free eggs along side of regularly produced non-cage free eggs. Again , just as in the rest of the country, the cage –free eggs account for a small proportion of the total egg sales.
But Prop#2 in California passed by an overwhelming 63% of the vote. It stipulates that all egg producers in California will have to provide egg laying hens with cages that offer enough room for the hens to spread their wings all day. So why am I telling you this? Well, as you all well know or should know consumers reveal their preferences through their behavior in the market place. If so many felt that cage free eggs are so important to them then why did they continue to buy the non cage –free eggs. This is a head scratcher isn’t it? Well maybe most of the voters do not eat eggs.
Anyway it appears that the five year transition period might witness the end of the egg industry in California since , unless buying habits change, most of the egg farmers will move their operations to neighbouring states that have less onerous regulations . A study at the University of California- Davis, estimates that the new regulations will cost farmers at least 20 % to produce and so there will be a flight of egg laying hens out of the state.
