| 1 | 1 | | |
|---|
| 2 | 2 | | |
|---|
| 3 | 3 | | LCO No. 462 1 of 2 |
|---|
| 4 | 4 | | |
|---|
| 5 | 5 | | General Assembly Proposed Bill No. 5398 |
|---|
| 6 | 6 | | January Session, 2023 |
|---|
| 7 | 7 | | LCO No. 462 |
|---|
| 8 | 8 | | |
|---|
| 9 | 9 | | |
|---|
| 10 | 10 | | Referred to Committee on ENVIRONMENT |
|---|
| 11 | 11 | | |
|---|
| 12 | 12 | | |
|---|
| 13 | 13 | | Introduced by: |
|---|
| 14 | 14 | | REP. MICHEL, 146th Dist. |
|---|
| 15 | 15 | | |
|---|
| 16 | 16 | | |
|---|
| 17 | 17 | | |
|---|
| 18 | 18 | | AN ACT PROHIBITING THE CONFINEMENT OF EGG -LAYING HENS. |
|---|
| 19 | 19 | | Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General |
|---|
| 20 | 20 | | Assembly convened: |
|---|
| 21 | 21 | | |
|---|
| 22 | 22 | | That the general statutes be amended to provide that on and after 1 |
|---|
| 23 | 23 | | June 1, 2025, no farm owner or operator shall knowingly confine an egg-2 |
|---|
| 24 | 24 | | laying hen in an enclosure: (1) That is not a cage-free housing system; or 3 |
|---|
| 25 | 25 | | (2) that has less than the amount of usable floor space per hen required 4 |
|---|
| 26 | 26 | | by the 2017 edition of the United Egg Producers' Animal Husbandry 5 |
|---|
| 27 | 27 | | Guidelines for U.S. Egg-Laying Flocks: Guidelines for Cage-Free 6 |
|---|
| 28 | 28 | | Housing. Additionally, to provide that on or after June 1, 2025, no 7 |
|---|
| 29 | 29 | | business owner or operator shall knowingly sell or transport for sale in 8 |
|---|
| 30 | 30 | | Connecticut a shell egg or egg product that the business owner or 9 |
|---|
| 31 | 31 | | operator knows or should know was produced by an egg-laying hen 10 |
|---|
| 32 | 32 | | that was confined in a manner that conflicts with such standards. 11 |
|---|
| 33 | 33 | | Finally, to further provide that such standards do not apply to: (A) 12 |
|---|
| 34 | 34 | | Medical research; (B) examination, testing, individual treatment or 13 |
|---|
| 35 | 35 | | operation for veterinary purposes, but only if performed by or under 14 |
|---|
| 36 | 36 | | the direct supervision of a licensed veterinarian; (C) transportation; (D) 15 |
|---|
| 37 | 37 | | state or county fair exhibitions, 4-H programs and similar exhibitions; 16 Proposed Bill No. 5398 |
|---|
| 38 | 38 | | |
|---|
| 39 | 39 | | |
|---|
| 40 | 40 | | LCO No. 462 2 of 2 |
|---|
| 41 | 41 | | |
|---|
| 42 | 42 | | (E) slaughter in accordance with any applicable laws, rules and 17 |
|---|
| 43 | 43 | | regulations; (F) temporary periods for animal husbandry purposes for 18 |
|---|
| 44 | 44 | | no more than six hours in any twenty-four-hour period and no more 19 |
|---|
| 45 | 45 | | than twenty-four hours total in any thirty-day period; or (G) the 20 |
|---|
| 46 | 46 | | production in the state, sale in the state or transport for sale in the state, 21 |
|---|
| 47 | 47 | | of shell eggs by a farm owner or operator with annual shell egg 22 |
|---|
| 48 | 48 | | production from fewer than three thousand egg-laying hens if all shell 23 |
|---|
| 49 | 49 | | eggs sold in the state or transported for sale in the state by the farm 24 |
|---|
| 50 | 50 | | owner or operator are derived from fewer than three thousand egg-25 |
|---|
| 51 | 51 | | laying hens. 26 |
|---|
| 52 | 52 | | Statement of Purpose: |
|---|
| 53 | 53 | | To promote food safety, protect public health and advance animal |
|---|
| 54 | 54 | | welfare. |
|---|