The Blue State bans most eggs unless they are cage-free before the New Year

Almost all eggs Sold in Michigan And the introduction of cage-free birds should come before the new year, even as egg prices continue to rise.

Michigan lawmakers amended the Animal Industry Code in 2019, requiring eggs from chickens, ducks and other birds sold in the state to be from cage-free housing systems, effective December 31, 2024.

However, the new law does not apply to the sale of shell eggs produced on a farm with fewer than 3,000 laying hens, nor does it apply to liquid or cooked eggs.

But for those affected farms, the law prohibits business owners from selling eggs from laying hens if care cannot be provided while the hens are standing within the usable floor space.

Egg prices are high and will continue until 2025

the The law also provides Do not restrain or tie the chicken in a way that prevents it from lying down, standing, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely.

Most of the guidelines for cage-free eggs are set out in the 2017 United Egg Producers Rules, which set standards for how much space must be provided for eggs to qualify as cage-free.

Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment on the new law.

This is why grocery stores really raise prices

The news comes as egg prices continue to rise, and industry experts expect these high costs to continue into 2025, especially if highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI), also known as “bird flu” infection, persists.

Wells Fargo Agri-Food Institute Sector director Kevin Bergquist said egg prices had risen since 2023 due to a combination of seasonal price increases during the holidays and disruption to egg supplies due to bird flu.

Prices over the past year have “generally” remained higher than 2023 prices and even “often exceeded egg prices as of 2022, which is when HPAI really took over the egg market,” according to Bergquist.

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Wholesale egg prices, which jumped nearly 55% in November, don’t necessarily reflect consumer eggs Prices at the grocery store, Which can vary widely.

According to the Consumer Price Index, grocery prices rose 0.5% in November, with four of the six major food groups becoming more expensive in grocery stores. Whites showed the largest increase by a wide margin.

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Prices of meat, poultry, fish and eggs rose 1.7% in November, but egg prices rose 8.2%.

FOX Business’ Daniela Genovese contributed to this report.