California Votes To Ban Cages For Hens, Give Farm Animals More Room

Voters in California on Tuesday passed a ballot measure mandating more space for certain farm animals and banning the confinement of egg-laying hens in cages.

Proposition 12, also known as the Farm Animal Confinement Initiative, also will eventually ban the sale of agricultural products in California that dont meet the states new requirements. That means the new law may influence how farmers across the country raise their animals.

We did it, California!!!! pic.twitter.com/spdZK2DbNf

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We did it, California!!!! pic.twitter.com/spdZK2DbNf
Yes on Prop 12 - Prevent Cruelty CA (@YesOnProp12) November 7, 2018

What exactly does Prop. 12 do?

Proposition 12 has two sets of requirements one that kicks in 2020, and a second that takes effect in 2022. By 2020, agricultural operations in California must provide egg-laying hens with at least 1 square foot of space per hen, and must provide at least 43 square feet of space for each calf raised as veal.

By 2022, farms in California must provide female pigs used for breeding with at least 24 square feet of space per pig. Hens must be kept in cage-free housing providing at least 1 square foot of space per hen.

The 2022 requirements also mandate that agricultural products sold in California must meet the states livestock space requirements, even if they come from out of state.

Enforcement will be up to the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the Department of Public Health, and will be complaint-based, a spokeswoman for the American Society of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals told HuffPost.