The bill would allow temporary suspension of Nevada’s cage-free egg law during national shortages caused by disease outbreaks or natural disasters. (Photo: SasinT Gallery/Getty Images)
In a bid to lower the price of eggs for consumers, Nevada legislators voted unanimously Monday to advance a bill that would temporarily suspend certain regulations related to the sale and transport of eggs.
Supply chain issues created by the H5N1 bird flu virus have significantly increased egg prices and reduced availability across Nevada, causing lawmakers to rethink a law banning the sale of caged eggs in the state.
Nevada lawmakers are now quickly pushing through Assembly Bill 171, a measure that would grant the State Quarantine Officer the authority to temporarily suspend Nevada’s cage-free egg law during national shortages caused by disease outbreaks or natural disasters.
Lawmakers said the bill would help lower egg prices in Nevada by opening additional markets that can’t be accessed due to the state’s ban on caged eggs. Nevada banned the sale of caged eggs in 2021 with the unanimous support of state Democrats and a handful of Republicans.
“One thing that we didn’t perceive was this massive bird flu pandemic and the impact that it’s had on the supply chain. As a result, there is not flexibility to adjust some of those standards when we’re facing an emergency situation,” said Assemblymember Howard Watts, D-Las Vegas, who sponsored the bill with Assembly Speaker Steve Yeager, D-Las Vegas.
The Assembly Committee on Natural Resources voted Monday to advance the bill to the full Nevada Assembly, where it is expected to pass without issue before moving to the Nevada Senate.
Under the bill, the temporary suspension of regulations would last no more than 120 consecutive days, with up to two suspensions per calendar year. The bill also includes a provision requiring a report on the discrepancy of egg prices from store to store within 60 days.
The bill is not limited to Nevada’s cage-free egg law. It would also give the Nevada Department of Agriculture the flexibility to secure eggs from atypical sources during shortages, including smaller producers and Grade B egg vendors. Grade B eggs meet all health and safety standards, but are considered lower quality due to superficial cosmetic issues.
“We have no commercial scale egg producers here in the state of Nevada, but we have small operators. So if there are ways that we can help get those eggs onto the shelves, we want to look at that as well,” Watts said.
Nevada Department of Agriculture Director J.J. Goicoechea said the agency is already working on certifying and inspecting smaller producers to get more eggs on the shelf.
“There is a population that we can source additional eggs from in a time of emergency, and that is all we are asking for,” Goicoechea said.
Goicoechea emphasized the agency’s commitment to protecting the health and safety of the food supply, while also trying to increase egg availability and reduce prices.
“At no time can we, nor would we, import any product, whether it was a meat product, a live animal or, in this case, eggs, into the state that was not inspected and had gone through that inspection process,” Goicoechea said.
“There is no way we’re going to do anything that would risk or jeopardize the health of Nevada citizens. Absolutely not,” he continued.
The virus has also affected other parts of the food supply in Nevada. About 36,000 dairy cows in Nye and Churchill counties have been placed under quarantine since December after the Nevada Department of Agriculture detected Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI).
Until now, the strain detected in Fallon dairy farms in Churchill County has mainly been found in wild birds across all North American flyways.
“This has never been seen before in dairy cattle anywhere. Why it chose Fallon, we do not know. We do have a lot of interface with wildlife and wild fowl there,” Goicoechea said.
However, Goicoechea assured Nevadans it was safe to consume milk purchased in grocery stores, adding that the milk pasteurization process in Nevada “renders the virus inactive.”
“I will not sit here and lie to you. We will be in this for months. We have a long ways to go,” Goicoechea said. “We are very concerned about… where else it may already be that they haven’t found.”