Arizona Administrative Code › Title 3 - AGRICULTURE › Chapter 2 - DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE - ANIMAL SERVICES DIVISION › Article 9 - EGG AND EGG PRODUCTS CONTROL › Section R3-2-907 - Poultry Husbandry; Standards for Production of Eggs and Biosecurity Requirements

Current through Register Vol. 30, No. 28, July 12, 2024
A. Until
				September 30, 2022, all egg-laying hens in this state shall be raised according
				to UEP Animal Husbandry Guidelines.
B. Until September 30, 2022, all eggs sold in
				this state produced by hens shall be from hens raised according to the UEP
				Animal Husbandry Guidelines. All eggs shall display the UEP Certified logo on
				their cases, cartons, and containers, or the egg dealer shall annually provide
				the Department with a copy of a current independent third-party audit that
				demonstrates that the eggs were produced by hens raised according to UEP Animal
				Husbandry Guidelines.
C. Beginning
				October 1, 2022, all egg-laying hens in this state shall be housed in
				accordance with the UEP Animal Husbandry Guidelines and shall be provided with
				no less than one square foot of usable floor space per egg-laying
				hen.
D. Beginning October 1, 2022,
				all eggs and egg products sold in this state shall be from hens that are housed
				in accordance with the UEP Animal Husbandry Guidelines and provided with no
				less than one square foot of usable floor space per egg-laying hen.
E. Beginning no later than January 1, 2025,
				all egg-laying hens in this state shall be housed in a cage-free
				manner.
F. Beginning no later than
				January 1, 2025, all eggs and egg products sold in this state shall be from
				hens housed in a cage-free manner.
G. Subsections (A) through (F) of this rule
				do not apply to egg producers or business owners or operators operating or
				controlling the operation of one or more egg ranches each having fewer than
				20,000 egg-laying hens producing eggs. Subsections (A) through (E) of this rule
				also do not apply to any hens that are raised cage-free or any eggs produced by
				hens that are raised cage-free.
H.
				Beginning no later than October 1, 2022, in order to sell eggs or egg products
				within the state, a business owner or operator must have a certificate from the
				Supervisor certifying that the eggs or egg products are produced in compliance
				with Subsections subsections (C) through (F), or are exempt under subsection
				(G). The Supervisor will certify that eggs and egg products are produced in
				compliance with subsections (C) through (G) if the eggs or egg products are
				accompanied by documentation from a government or private third-party
				inspection and continuous process verification service that the Supervisor
				deems acceptable establishing that the eggs or egg products were produced in
				compliance with this Section. The immediate container of eggs and egg products
				shall be plainly and conspicuously marked with the words "ARS 710J" in
				bold-faced type not less than one-eighth inch in height; or in another manner
				preapproved by the department.
I.
				It shall be a defense to any action to enforce this Rule that a business owner
				or operator relied in good faith upon a written certification by the supplier
				that the eggs or egg products at issue were derived from an egg-laying hen
				which was housed in compliance with this Section.
J. All
				producers and producer dealers with operations within the state shall have a
				written biosecurity plan in place. At a minimum each producer and producer
				dealer shall:
1. Restrict access to all areas
				where poultry are housed or kept.
2. Take steps to ensure that contaminated
				material is not transported into any poultry barns.
3. Cover and secure feed in a manner that
				prevents wild bird, rodents or other animals from accessing the feed.
4. Cover and properly contain poultry
				carcasses, used litter, or other disease-containing organic materials that
				prevents wild birds, rodents or other animals from accessing the material and
				movement of the materials by the wind.
5. Keep houses in good repair and all areas
				to which the birds have access should be kept free of materials hazardous to
				the birds.