By BRIAN PORTER | Rocky Mountain Voice
If you have not yet visited your grocer’s refrigerated section in 2025, you’re in a for a surprise. The only eggs you will find are cage-free, and they are expensive.
There’s a reason. House Bill 20-1343, passed nearly five years ago, set forth standards for laying hens and the eggs they produce, of which some harmful consequences are just being realized today. The bill by Western Slope Democrat rancher Sen. Kerry Donovan and Western Slope Democrat attorney Dylan Roberts had bipartisan support from a full flock then of about two-thirds of the Colorado General Assembly, and Democratic Gov. Jared Polis signed the bill.
Weld County Rep. Ryan Gonzalez, R-Greeley, and Weld County Sen. Barb Kirkmeyer, R-Brighton, neither of which supported the 2020 measure, want to repeal the standards of the bill with passage of HB25-1074. The bill will be heard at 1:30 p.m. Jan. 27 by the House Agriculture, Water & Natural Resources Committee.
“Not only is the supply of cage-free eggs down, but this state law and retailer restrictions limit options for sourcing replacements, resulting in empty shelves,” Kirkmeyer said. “Colorado cannot afford to have policies that make it more difficult for families to put food on the table.”
The 2020 bill required each laying hen to be provided 144 square-inches of space (or one square-foot) by 2023, and then by 2025 any eggs sold or distributed in Colorado were to come from fully cage-free facilities.
The cost of producing cage-free eggs is about 16%-18% greater than in a caged environment, legislation from Gonzalez and Kirkmeyer reads, in part because of labor, costs of reconstructing hen houses and the potential spread of disease in a larger environment.
“Price increases disproportionately impact low-income families who are already struggling to keep up with rising costs,” Gonzalez said.
The Bureau of Labor estimates in the past two years, the national cost of a dozen eggs rose 75%. The legislation notes a dozen eggs cost $5.49 in December 2024, but many residents along the Western Slope — where the 2020 legislation was initiated — have complained of nearly $10 cartons, or eggs costing nearly $1 each.
Large egg-laying operations being located on the Eastern Plains doesn’t mean all lawmakers there opposed the 2020 legislation, either. For example, Perry Buck and Richard Holtorf opposed it, but Rod Pelton and Rod Bockenfeld supported it. In Southern Colorado, Dave Williams, who is now the Republican Party chairman, opposed the measure, while Republicans on the Western Slope largely supported it, such as Matt Soper and Perry Will.
The legislation from Gonzalez and Kirkmeyer might allow some a do-over, as the legislation further notes that with an estimated 6 grams of protein in eggs, they are a basic household staple.
HB25-1074 would repeal HB20-1343 and would provide relief to Colorado families, the bill reads. The 2020 bill exempted farms with 3,000 or fewer egg-laying hens or non-farms selling less than 30 dozen eggs per week. On average, a hen can lay an egg a day, or as little as 1.5 eggs in two days.
“Colorado families should not have to choose between paying bills and buying groceries; therefore, it is necessary to focus on keeping Colorado eggs affordable and ensuring that government regulations do not add unnecessary burdens during an already challenging economic period,” the bill reads.
If passed and signed by the governor, the cage-free egg law would be repealed the day following the conclusion of the 75th General Assembly’s 2025 regular session.