New Animal Welfare Program Available to Egg Farmers

A new animal welfare program has been developed for egg farmers that provides the scientific references from 42 research articles substantiating the provisions in the guidelines.  These guidelines have been submitted to the Food Marketing Institute and the National Grocers Association as another option for egg farmers to incorporate into their production practices in response to the animal welfare concerns of consumers requesting science-based standards of production.

The National Association of Egg Farmers is offering this voluntary program free-of-charge to its members.

Today’s modern, conventional farming methods provides animals in the care of farmers, protection from inclement weather, predators, and in the case of caged chickens, a year-around supply of optimal temperatures.

The goal of these science-based production practices is to qualify with published research the health and welfare of livestock and to demonstrate the farmer’s abiding by the moral obligatoion to provide a healthy environment for the chickens.

Nationwide Press Release: Cage-Free Eggs will not improve animal welfare, egg quality, or cut the price of eggs

The following press release was sent nationwide on April 20, 2016
 
 
 
 
 

 

The saying that “the customer is always right” does not hold true with what’s happening to the egg industry and this rapid transition to cage-free eggs. So when news sources quote from animal welfare sources but do not ask the farmer who is caring for his chickens, they are leaving out those who have first-hand experience in raising chickens.  The result is the misinformation in the news is staggering. Take the example of events happening on April 7th. The USA Today published a story “Walmart’s cage-free vow could cut prices, aid hens” quoting several sources claiming egg-free is expected to lower egg prices. What the story is missing is that egg farmers, like Walmart, have costs to produce or merchandise that they build into their pricing. No one expects Walmart’s raising its minimum wage will not translate into increased costs, just as no one should believe that the increased cost to produce cage-free eggs will not also raise prices. The initial investment by the farmer is close to $40 per bird for the building and new equipment (feeders, waterers, nests, perches). This substantial investment will need to be paid by increased costs for the eggs. Cage-free hens use more feed. The labor to collect the eggs will also increase. Is the farmer expected not to recover these costs?

The premise that cage-free eggs will benefit the hen is also not true. Removing chickens from cages, where they have been for decades, will lead to issues with pecking prevented by the cage environment. That is why farmers transitioned to cages decades ago. Furthermore, the eggs are more likely to be contaminated with bacteria due to prolonged exposure from litter and manure in the nest boxes or on the ground. As for the workers, the amount of dust, which can transmit pathogens, inside a cage-free house represents a health risk to farm workers, and the need for workers to collect floor eggs creates ergonomic challenges, too. The most recent Salmonella enteritidis (a foodborne pathogen) outbreak linked to eggs comes from a cage-free farm in Lebanon, Ohio.

The government also plays a role in contributing to misinformation. USDA announced on April 7th a proposed new stricter federal rule governing organic poultry setting space requires at 2 square feet per bird both inside and outside stating the need for poultry to dust-bathe and peck or root in the soil. The rule will also eliminate beak trimming. Miles McEvoy, Deputy Administrator of USDA’s organic program was quoted in the April 8th Wall Street Journal saying that the new regulations “better align with consumer expectations.” Too bad the federal government does not educate consumers on the ramifications of outdoor access (potential for spreading avian influenza, more ectoparasites, an increase in e. coli in poultry, beak trimming reduces hen deaths, etc). McEvoy went to say that Americans “expect organic livestock to spend a considerable amount of their life outside during appropriate weather conditions, so we proposed to codify that in a measurable way.” Betsy Babcock, Handsome Brook Farm in New York is also quoted in the WSJ saying that only 2 square feet of outdoor space is not enough. On her pasture-raised poultry farm that allow 109 square feet of outdoor space as less space means more dirt rapidly happening from the roaming chickens.

Egg farmers who actually raise egg-laying chickens are trying to educate consumers through our association by writing rebuttals and op-eds in newspapers. It’s unfortunate the customer is being misled that cage-free eggs are better welfare or better quality eggs.  It’s unfortunate for the consumer, for the chicken, and the farmers who will be increasing their labor expenses to pick up these eggs laid on the ground.  We keep hoping one open-minded retailer will see the truth of what egg farmers keep saying and reverse their policy of transitioning to cage-free.

National Egg Farmers Testify Before Rhode Island Legislators on Cage-Free Chickens Bill

Rhode Island House Environment and Natural Resources Committee

Consideration of H 7456 Relating to Animals and Animal Husbandry –Unlawful Confinement of a Covered Animal (Egg Laying Chickens)

Testimony by Ken Klippen, President, National Association of Egg Farmers

April 5, 2018

 

Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening in opposing H 7456 for two reasons; food safety and animal welfare. While the bill addresses unlawful confinement, it also mandates that chickens producing eggs have floor space consistent with the 2016 United Egg Producers Guidelines for Cage-Free Production.

 

FOOD SAFETY:

 

The US Animal Health Association October 17, 2017 Report stated: “Ascarids (round worms) are increasingly being found in cage-free operations with the concern being the possibility of a consumer finding an egg with a roundworm contained inside. Most all cage-free egg producers have had such an occurrence.” Below is a picture showing round worms in the internal organ of an egg laying chicken as well as in an egg itself. Chickens pick up roundworms when they come into contact with infected feces on the ground.

In the Journal Food Control published a study June 17, 2014 entitled “Microbiological Contamination of Shell Eggs Produced in Conventional and Free-Range Housing Systems”  The conclusions show why cages became the preferred method of producing eggs. “Battery caged hens (conventional cages) are standing on wire slats that allow feces to fall to a manure collection system beneath the hens.  Conversely, free-range hens (cage-free) laid their eggs in nest boxes on shavings and the eggs remained in contact with hens, shavings and fecal material until they are collected.  The longer contact time with free-range hens, shavings and feces would explain the higher enterobacteriaceae counts (pathogenic bacteria) on free-range eggs as compared to battery caged eggs.”

 

Penn State researchers in September 2016 published their research findings that eggs from small flocks of chickens are more likely to be contaminated with Salmonella enteritidis as eggs sold in grocery stores, which typically come from larger flocks of caged layers.

HUMANE

Cage-free increases the stress on chickens due to the establishment of a “pecking order” among the chickens.  This behavior is to determine the social standing of the individual hens through “pecking” each other.  The individual chicken lower in the social order is pecked the most.  When chickens are housed in conventional cages with 6 chickens, the establishment of this pecking order is minimized compared to thousands of chickens in a cage-free environment. The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply, a two-year study of different production systems, did not conclude that cage-free was the optimum system, but instead noted the mortality is nearly double that of caged systems.

The type of system proposed in the legislation will lead to more broken breast bones. Keel (breast) bone breakage reported highest in the aviary (cage-free) system over conventional cages.  A clear indication that cage-free systems are not more humane than conventional cages. Dr. Maja Makagon, Assistant Professor of Applied Animal Behavior at University of California, Davis’ Department of Animal Science, reported the increased bone breakage from collisions with perches in cage-free systems.

 

Dr. Ivan Alvarado, DVM with Merck Global Business delivered an interesting presentation at the Minneapolis Convention Center on March 14, 2018 discussing external parasites in cage-free farms. 83% of European cage-free egg farms are already infested with poultry red mites. This harmful mite is extremely costly to the poultry industry with annual European industry losses at EUR360 million (US$446.54 million). Red mites are not a problem in conventional cages. All 27 member nations in the EU are about 40% cage-free compared to 16% in the U.S. Dr. Alvarado said an effective drug for Red Mites is Fluranaler and is in use in the EU. It has not yet received approval in the U.S. Subjecting poultry to parasites without the benefit of approved medication is inhumane.

It is for these reasons we are opposed to H 7456 which mandates all eggs sold come from these cage-free systems of production.

Thank you.

 

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