The former president argues California’s cage‑free standards push egg prices higher nationwide, while the state says the lawsuit is political theater.
Former President Donald Trump has taken California to court, claiming the state’s cage‑free egg rules inflate grocery bills across the country. The clash pits economic concerns against animal‑welfare standards and could reshape the national food market.
Why Trump calls California’s cage‑free mandate a national economic threat
Trump’s lawsuit, filed Wednesday in federal court, targets voter‑approved initiatives from 2008 and 2018—collectively known as Proposition 12—that bar the sale of eggs from hens kept in conventional cages. Brooke Rollins, now Agriculture Secretary, says the mandate forces farmers elsewhere to rebuild barns or lose a major market, “an onerous bureaucracy,” she contends. Attorney General Pam Bondi adds that the rules helped drive egg prices to a record $6.23 a dozen in March before easing to $4.55 in May.
| Month 2025 | Average price per dozen |
|---|---|
| March | $6.23 |
| April | $5.12 |
| May | $4.55 |
Those Bureau of Labor Statistics figures remain 68.5 percent higher than a year ago. Add the avian‑flu outbreak that has culled 175 million birds since 2022, and, Trump warns, “breakfast is under siege.”
California officials and animal advocates defend Proposition 12 as settled law
Governor Gavin Newsom dismisses the suit as “another round of blame‑California politics,” while the state Department of Justice vows to “see it in the courts.” Sara Amundson of Humane World for Animals reminds critics that the U.S. Supreme Court has already upheld California’s authority, insisting, “Blaming animal‑welfare standards for 2025 egg prices is pure politics.” Need a quick cheat‑sheet?
- What’s at stake: Whether one state can set housing rules that shape a national market.
- Who’s affected: Farmers facing retrofit costs and shoppers watching price tags.
- Why it matters: The outcome could influence similar rules on pork and beef.
What egg buyers and farmers should know about possible price impacts now
Although prices dipped with summer’s bird‑flu lull, uncertainties remain. Could another migration‑season outbreak reverse the trend? Will judges grant Trump’s request to block enforcement while the case proceeds? For farmers weighing upgrades, every month of limbo raises costs.
So, what’s next? Preliminary arguments are expected later this summer. In the meantime, the American Egg Board urges producers to keep meeting demand for cage‑free eggs while tracking the lawsuit’s progress.
Bottom line: California says its decade‑old standard protects hens and consumers; Trump’s team says it punishes wallets. The judge’s decision could decide whose argument sticks to the frying pan.