The Federal government has filed a lawsuit against the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development and the State Attorney General over restrictions relating to cage-free housing.  In 2019 the legislature of the state revised the Animal Industry Act to ban the sale of eggs from hens confined to conventional cages.  The law, duly enacted went into effect at the beginning of 2025 following a six-year transition during which producers invested capital in alternatives systems of housing. 

Nancy Barr Executive Director of Michigan Allied Poultry Industries commented, “Our producers are ready, they have spent a lot of time and money getting there but they are committed to cage-free housing.”

The legal action by the Administration would appear to be moot since conversion is a reality and the lawsuit would appear to be a