Editing Free-range eggs (section)

====Debate====
[[File:Free Range Hens - geograph.org.uk - 342791.jpg|thumb|Commercial free-range hens outdoors]]
Cage-free eggs have been a major cause of debate in the US. In 2015, there was an initiative proposed in [[Massachusetts]] that would ban the sale of in-state meat or eggs "from caged animals raised anywhere in the nation". This shift from caged to cage-free is concerning for egg industry groups because they believe that this will cause the price of eggs to increase to the point that consumers can not afford to buy them, thereby causing a decline in the egg industry overall. Animal welfare advocates argue that costs will not change as drastically as industry groups are expecting and that the price of eggs will remain almost the same because the housing of the birds does not make a huge difference in cost. Egg industry groups are making an effort to show or "educate lawmakers, voters, and consumers about the merits and cost-effectiveness of cage use". Local farmers and producers say that the shift will occur if that is what consumers want; they will adapt to having birds in or out of cages. Not only are there debates between the egg industry and animal welfare advocates, but people are also debating whether this issue has to be handled by the federal government or the industry.<ref name="POLITICO">{{cite web|title = Egg industry yielding in cage-free fight|url = http://www.politico.com/story/2015/09/egg-industry-hands-animal-advocates-big-win-in-cage-free-fight-213905|website = [[Politico]]| date=21 September 2015 |access-date = 2015-10-15}}</ref>