Among these are millions of cage-free hens California relies on to comply with Proposition 12, the 2018 animal welfare initiative that took effect last year. Among the roughly 40 million hens lost nationwide since the outbreak began, more than 5 million were cage-free egg layers, USDA data show. “Luckily, our California egg industry has avoided any bird flu in commercial flocks,” California Poultry Federation President Bill Mattos wrote in an email. Three of those bans are now in effect, including in Colorado and Washington, where conventional eggs were outlawed Jan. 1. WIC covers eggs for 1 million low-income expectant parents, new families and children younger than 5 in California.

Source: Los Angeles Times January 07, 2023 23:59 UTC