A.B.3021

Summary

Existing law, enacted by Proposition 2, an initiative measure approved by the voters at the November 4, 2008, statewide general election, prohibits a person from tethering or confining a calf raised for veal, a pregnant pig, or an egg-laying hen on a farm in a manner that prevents the animal from lying down, standing up, fully extending its limbs, or turning around freely, except under specified circumstances. Existing statutory law prohibits a shelled egg from being sold or contracted for sale for human consumption in California if the seller knows or should have known that the egg is the product of an egg-laying hen that was confined on a farm or place that is not in compliance with the above-specified animal care standards. This bill would also prohibit a farm owner or operator in California from confining an egg-laying hen in an enclosure that is not in compliance with specified standards, except as provided. The bill would prohibit a person from selling or contracting to sell shell eggs or liquid eggs in California from an egg-laying hen that was in an enclosure not in compliance with the specified standards. The bill would make a violation of the bill's provisions a misdemeanor, thereby imposing a state-mandated local program. The bill would require the Department of Food and Agriculture to promulgate regulations for the implementation of those provisions on or before September 1, 2019. The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.