Cage-Free Eggs Not What They’re Cracked Up to Be

Sick of paying too much for eggs? Blame the moonbats who champion the alleged interests of chickens at our expense by demanding they be cage-free:

The current bird flu pandemic has seen nearly 150 million egg-laying hens culled in the US, driving prices through the roof.

Liberal California has been one of the hardest hit, where a 2018 law mandated that all eggs produced and sold in the nation’s most populous state be cage-free by 2022 — coincidentally, the same year the current H5N1 outbreak began.

Or maybe not so coincidentally.

While a 2023 USDA analysis found no significant correlation between housing type and initial infection, it’s common sense that pathogens would spread faster in cage-free facilities.

As for the USDA analysis, Big Government studies tend to find the results they look for. That’s the point of the studies.

Unfortunately, what moonbats inflict in California does not stay in California:

California had been a top egg-producer, but such regulations forced farmers to flee the state and egg production has plummeted.

That didn’t stop the mandate from having a ripple effect across the entire industry, with eight other states following suit, and today 40% of eggs sold in the US are cage-free, up from just 5% in 2010.

Corporate posturing has played a part:

Before this year, cage-free eggs — rapidly becoming the industry standard thanks to California’s market influence and buyers like Walmart and McDonald’s pledging to go cage-free — cost between 20% and 130% more at grocery stores.

Not even the chickens benefit. Crowding the birds together instead of separating them in cages not only spreads disease but results in increased stress and even cannibalism due to pecking order issues.

But at least liberals get a warm glow of righteousness when they see “cage-free” on their carton of eggs.

Hat tip: Maggie’s Farm.

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