Say No to Cage-Free Eggs!

A rule currently pending at the Department of Agriculture would require that all eggs produced and sold in Arizona be from hens housed in cage-free aviaries. In short, this rule would make it illegal to sell anything but a cage-free egg in our state.

We need to tell the Department that it is not okay to restrict access to healthy Arizona Ag products based on the wishes of a few out-of-state interests. The Department needs to stand up to animal rights interests and say no to cage-free mandates.

Follow the instructions below to email AZDA and tell them that this rule is wrong for Arizona. The public comment period closes at 5:00 pm on February 9.

ACT TODAY: Email the Arizona Department of Agriculture

Step 1: Use your personal email platform to draft a new email.

Step 2: Add rmader@azda.gov to the address line.

Step 3: Add a subject line of Opposition to R21-238, Cage-Free Eggs

Step 4: Copy and paste the text below into the body of your email.

Step 5: Personalize the email and click send!

Dear Mr. Mader,

I am writing to express my fervent opposition to proposed rule R21-238, which would mandate the production and sale of cage-free eggs in Arizona.

[Insert personal information here]

Arizona Agriculture is a staple of this state’s heritage, culture, and economy. With an economic contribution of more than $23.3 billion each year, farmers and ranchers are successful businesspeople who take pride in raising safe, healthy, and affordable food for our families and yours.

To ensure the health and safety of our animals, our farms and ranches are consistently adjusting our animal husbandry practices to make sure we are complying with proven best practices. As such, we can confidently say that this rule is wrong for Arizona. There is no credible science to show that cage-free aviaries are healthier or more humane for chickens. Similarly, no evidence exists that cage-free eggs have any additional nutritional or public health value. The proposed rule would set a precedent of interfering with the day-to-day decisions of farmers and ranchers based on nothing more than a consumer preference and a desire to avoid political fights.

Moreover, this rule would price some of Arizona’s most vulnerable consumers out of the egg market altogether. Already, we struggle as a state with food deserts, or areas in which the lack of retail grocery stores make This restriction on commerce will only exacerbate many Arizonans’ food insecurity. Moreover, users of WIC benefits are prohibited from purchasing cage-free eggs at all, even if they do have access to them. We cannot set a precedent that would allow the preferences of a privileged few to impact the health of so many.

Unlike farmers and ranchers, animal rights activists do not have the best interests of Arizona’s families at heart. While we recognize the resources that these groups have to attempt to impose their preferences through political means, we are whole-heartedly committed to fighting that political battle. We must prove to these outside interests groups that they are not welcome in Arizona. Going forward with this rulemaking will only send the wrong message.

While the government telling farmers and ranchers how to care for their animals might be something that’s tolerated in states like California, it’s not the Arizona way. Please do right by Arizona’s farmers and ranchers and deny this rulemaking.