Big Ag Is Blaming High Egg Prices on Cage-Free Laws
Large egg farmers as well as Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary are blaming egg shortages and high prices in part on state-level regulations that prohibit crates and cages for chickens. The Department of Agriculture’s own data contradicts this story.
A carton of eggs is seen in a box during a free eggs giveaway in front of Brown Butter Craft Bar & Kitchen on March 21, 2025, in New York City. (Michael M. Santiago / Getty Images)
Amid high egg prices and the spread of avian flu, Donald Trump’s agriculture secretary is pushing an industry-friendly agenda to dismantle state-level animal welfare regulations designed to limit corporate eggflation and protect against livestock diseases.
In recent years, a handful of states have passed reforms that rein in industrial agricultural production by banning crates and cages for farm animals. Cage-free advocates have long argued the confined conditions of concentrated animal feeding operations are unhealthy for livestock and inadvertently incubate the spread of diseases such as avian flu.
These laws also level the playing field for independent smaller farms, enabling them to compete against the giant industrial producers in new markets for cage-free pork and poultry products.
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