A proposed amendment to the Massachusetts budget bill related to hen housing will not be included in the final bill to be presented to the governor. The amendment would have clarified and impacted the 2016 ballot initiative commonly referred to as “Question 3.” This initiative requires all eggs produced and sold in Massachusetts, beginning January 1, 2022, to come from hens with 1.5 square feet of space. The proposed amendment would have aligned Massachusetts with measures passed in other states including California and Washington. It was supported by both the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the New England Brown Egg Council. As reported by public radio station WGBH, the Massachusetts Farm Bureau opposed the bill with a message to members stating, “The voters spoke on Question 3. We do not feel it appropriate to change the standards.”

The New England Brown Egg Council, HSUS and others are strategizing on ways to overcome the Massachusetts Farm Bureau and pass this much needed amendment.