California Has Egg on Its Face

AENN

California’s supply of egg-laying hens has shrunk by 65%, an amount equal to 13 million birds

By Will Coggin, May 22, 2025 1:00 pm

CalGlobe

Recently, several California Senators wrote to state attorney general Rob Bonta asking for an investigation into why egg prices are so high. But they don’t need the help of the state’s top law enforcement official. This mystery can be solved with a mirror.

Egg prices in California have gone through the roof, reaching over $10 per dozen earlier this year. And while bird flu is a major factor, a less known factor is years of California regulations, driven by animal rights activists, that have increased costs for consumers and harmed egg farmers locally and nationally.

The tale of the red tape began in 2008 with Proposition 2, a ballot initiative that forced farmers to make costly modifications to their farms to comply with ambiguous, difficult to monitor protocols. These modifications had the effect of reducing the number of hens on farms, and by extension, the number of eggs. The General Assembly further cratered California’s egg supply with AB 1437, which added new penalties for California’s farmers and restaurants who sold products that did not comply with Proposition 2.

Then, Proposition 12, passed in 2018, banned the sale of regular, conventionally produced eggs and mandates California egg farmers–and any out-of-state farmer wanting to sell eggs in California–make costly barn conversions to “cage-free” systems, which can cost millions per farm.

Imagine you build your dream house, and then the government tells you five years later you have to completely rebuild it to comply with an arbitrary law. It’s an unfair position to be put in, and farmers have been forced to raise prices or go out of business.

California has gone from being a top five egg producing state in 2008 to now being ranked eleventh, behind Arkansas. According to USDA data, from 2008 to the end of 2024, California’s supply of egg-laying hens has shrunk by 65%, an amount equal to 13 million birds.

With a massive reduction in hens, and increased costs on out-of-state farmers who are forced to comply with California’s shifting regulations, it is no wonder why Californians were already paying more for eggs than their neighbors even before the recent avian bird flu outbreak.

California’s micromanagement of how egg farms operate has been driven by animal rights groups that funded Prop 2 and Prop 12. These groups hoodwinked California voters into thinking these laws were necessary for the humane treatment of hens.

But as any farmer or veterinarian will tell you, there’s more than one way to humanely raise a chicken. Different systems all have tradeoffs. In conventional systems, hens have lower mortality rates but have less living space. In cage-free systems, birds have more space, but higher injury rates. California farmers even developed a middle ground after Prop 2–larger, enriched cages–but these were banned by Prop 12.

That should tell you something: Prop 12 was actually never about better treatment of farm animals. It was about a long-term strategy to drive up the cost of animal protein and attack farmers.

Skeptical? Consider that the animal rights organizations that financed Prop 12 admit they don’t want people to eat any eggs at all, even if they’re “cage-free.” For example, The Humane League, which funded Prop 12, said on its website that it wants you to “remove eggs from your diet altogether.” Mercy for Animals, another Prop 12 backer, says, “consumers can easily drop eggs from their diets in favor of a cruelty-free vegan lifestyle.”

Californians are now experiencing the cost of Prop 12: Fewer choices at the grocery store, higher prices for a staple food, and a declining farming community. It’s a lot to choke down.

To reduce the price of eggs, politicians in Sacramento don’t need to gin up a theatrical “investigation.” They need to address the elephant in the room: Prop 12. The General Assembly has the power to modify ballot measures, and should move to do so without delay to make eggs more affordable for Californians. The longer it waits to act, the more food prices and farming will be scrambled.

Will Coggin

Will Coggin is the research director at the Center for the Environment and Welfare, which helps consumers, companies, and stakeholders navigate issues related to sustainability and animal welfare.