Sighted at a grocery store in Spokane, this new law is set to impact the entire state of Washington. Despite the bill being signed in 2019, it will only come into effect on 1st January 2024, as retailers needed plenty of time to source new egg producers.

The idea behind the bill is clearly to stop hens from being raised in terrible conditions, such as being confined to a tiny cage and laying eggs until they die. By passing this law, the idea is to make sure that hens in Washington are kept in reasonable conditions, as well as prevent other businesses from out of state doing so.

While this will almost certainly happen, it will also cause the prices of eggs to rise significantly. The demand for eggs will be the same, whereas production from more humane facilities is likely going to be a lot lower.

Critics of the bill claim that cage-free means hens are bred indoors in crowded conditions. They aren’t in battery cages, but will now attack one another at will. Overall, it will possibly increase costs due to more birds needing to be euthanized as a result of these injuries.