Summary Description
- Prohibits the use of cages in egg, pork, and veal production, and bans the sale of eggs, uncooked pork or veal from animals that have not been raised following equivalent standards set in the Legislation.
- TopicThe topic of the legislation or policy covered by the text
- AgricultureAnimal healthAnimal welfareSales Bans
- SpeciesThe animal, or type of food production, covered by the text
- CalvesPigs
- JurisdictionCountry or geographical area where the text applies
- USA
- Sub-jurisdictionCountry or state where the text applies
- California
- Type of ActWhether the act is a law, regulation, or policy, or another type of text
- Legislation
- StatusIndicates whether the act is in force or not
- In force
- Legal ValueWhether the text is binding or not
- Binding
- Date enactedDate the text was adopted
- 2018
- Date updatedDate when the entry was last updated by the CALF team
- June, 2023
- Official citation
- California Draft Bill, Prevention of Cruelty to Farm Animals Act, 2018 (U.S.A)
Strengths & Weaknesses
- Strengths
- Provides penalty: violations are considered as misdemeanours, with fines up to $1,000 (also weakness), and / or imprisonment in the county jail up to 180 days.
- Prohibits the use of cages for egg-laying hens (defined as any female domesticated chicken, turkey, duck, goose or guineafowl kept for the purpose of egg production, but this definition does not include quail hens), breeding pigs, and veal calves, and any confinement method that prevents an animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending the animal�s limbs, or turning around freely.
- Sets maximum density levels and minimum space allowance per individual animal.
- After December 31, 2019, confining a calf raised for veal with less than 43 square feet of usable floor space per calf; or
- After December 31, 2021, confining a breeding pig with less than 24 square feet of usable floor space per pig; or
- After December 31, 2019, confining an egg-laying hen with less than 144 square inches of usable floor space per hen; or
- After December 31, 2021, confining an egg-laying hen with less than the amount of usable floor space per hen required by the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers� Animal Husbandry Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free Housing, or in an enclosure other than a cage-free housing system.
- Applies extra-territorially by banning the sale of all eggs, uncooked pork or veal from animals that have not been raised following equivalent standards set in the Legislation.
- Weaknesses
- Only applies to egg-laying hens, pigs, and calves, and only applies on farms (i.e. not during transport and slaughter).
- Still allows high density levels.