Egg Prices, Supply Face 'Temporary Chaos' Without Bill Changes

BOSTON, MA — Massachusetts residents may be looking at the prospect at shelling over a lot more money for eggs in a month if lawmakers can’t come to an agreement over changes in an animal rights referendum that is set to be signed into law on January 1.

The measure, which was approved by voters back in 2016, sets new standards for egg-laying hens as well as other animals in Massachusetts. The bill includes animals that produce eggs, pork and veal and, in the case of the hens, requires each bird to have at least 1.5 square feet of floor space where they are kept to provide for more humane conditions for the hens.

The bill is scheduled to be signed into law on Jan. 1, which according to those in the egg business, would make 90 percent of the eggs currently being sold on Massachusetts illegal. That gives lawmakers a month to iron out differences and reach an agreement in the bill.

Without the changes, stores could face a quandary in the eggs that they sell and has one lawmaker believing that residents could be looking at paying upwards of $5 a dozen for eggs if nothing is done.

“That will be unaffordable to droves of Bay Staters,” Sen. Becca Rauch (D-Needham),” said in an interview with State House News Service.

Bill Bell, the general manager of the New England Egg Council, fears that if changes to the bill aren’t made before Jan. 1, stores would have no other choice but to take eggs not produced in humane environments off the shelf. That, Bell told State House News Service, could cause “temporary chaos.”

While most farms in Massachusetts are already complying with the law, officials said that local eggs only account for a small number of the eggs being sold in the Commonwealth. Because other farms outside of Massachusetts don’t comply with the standards laid out in the bill here, out-of-state eggs would be banned.

In an op-ed piece for “Commonwealth” magazine, David Radlo, the past president of the New England Egg Council, wrote that compromise is needed when it comes to coming to an agreement in the matter.

“The state Legislature is trying to work out a fix but it won’t be easy with the body not in formal session, during which only measures that receive unanimous support can move to the governor’s desk for signature,” Radlo wrote. “In informal sessions, one legislator can stop any bill from being approved. When it comes to eggs, the interest groups have been unable or unwilling to compromise.

“Many residents will be forced to cross state borders to buy their eggs. Grocers near the state’s borders will lose business. Eggs that are available will be far more costly, affecting retail consumers, Massachusetts bakers, restaurants, and all institutions with food service departments.”