Massachusetts outlaws confinement at egg, pig farms

Massachusetts voters handily approved Question 3, a measure that would outlaw the use of cages in egg production and gestation crates in pig production. About 78 percent of the voters approved of the measure.  The law is to take effect in 2022.  The measure will not have a large impact on Massachusetts agriculture, as only one commercial egg producer uses cages. There are no pig producers in the state that use gestation crates.  The larger impact of the rule for state residents would be that Massachusetts businesses would be prohibited from selling products from animals raised under those confinement conditions.