Getting directions to choose the correct fork in the road

The U.S. egg industry is staring at a fork in the road (or perhaps a busy roundabout with many roads to choose from), regarding hen housing options.

Will egg producers take an active or passive role in deciding how hens in the U.S. are 'housed' in the future?
Will egg
producers take an active or passive role in deciding how hens in the U.S. are 'housed' in the future?

The U.S. egg industry is staring at a fork in the road (or perhaps a busy roundabout with many roads to choose from), regarding hen housing options. While there may not be a single right answer for hen housing options that will address all issues for egg farmers, their customers, consumers and other stakeholders, it’s important for the United Egg Producers and the wider industry to continue demonstrating leadership and clear direction.

It’s a complex equation involving hen well-being, sustainability and profitability and myriad regulations in different states, including Oregon, Washington, Michigan and Ohio. The egg industry must solve this equation, all while providing the safe, high-quality eggs and egg products consumers demand. The final destination will evolve from the current production systems that include conventional housing, enriched housing and aviary. But which fork to take?

As the egg industry stares at this fork in the road, it’s important for them to ask for directions. This means engaging with stakeholders, from egg farmers and their customers (retailers, food service and processors), to consumers and other interested parties. Only by getting input from a wide array of stakeholders can the U.S. egg industry choose the correct fork in the road: the one that has fewer roadblocks. This road leads to the final destination of U.S. egg farmers continuing to provide safe, quality eggs to consumers in a sustainable, responsible and economically viable way that maintains public trust in eggs and egg farming.

How did we come to the fork?

On November 4, 2008, California voters passed Proposition 2, a ballot initiative requiring that egg-laying hens, veal calves and pregnant pigs to be able to lie down, stand up, turn around and fully extend their limbs. Due in part to fears that California egg producers would have a competitive disadvantage, the state passed legislation that requires any shell eggs sold in California be produced by hens raised in California-compliant systems and to be labeled accordingly.

The passage of Proposition 2 and subsequent passage of legislative and ballot initiatives in other states has led to a patchwork of hen housing laws. This could create a nightmare for a food system with global distribution.  

In an effort to create a consistent regulatory environment for all egg producers across the entire country, the United Egg Producers introduced federal legislation that would have established national housing standards for all laying hens. The proposed legislation, however, was excluded from the 2012 Farm Bill. An attempt by attorneys general from six states to block California’s law was initially unsuccessful, but the states have filed a notice to appeal. As a result, the new California-compliant requirements went into effect Jan. 1, 2015.

Unfortunately, eggs are not alone when it comes to addressing state-based laws on agriculture and food products sold coast to coast. Individual states have also passed laws regulating the housing of gestating sows and requiring labeling products that contain genetically modified ingredients. The disturbing trend of state-based control of the nation’s food system has the potential to create havoc for consumers and farmers alike. Left unchecked, the current situation could lead to lawmakers in Sacramento, California, or any other state capital, establishing standards for farmers and food companies from coast to coast.

The uncertainty regarding the status of the new regulations in California delayed egg farmers from changing their systems to become California-compliant. Egg farmers could not assume the risk of making the infrastructure changes on their farms until the legal challenges were resolved. Farmers are willing to play by the rules, as long as the rules are clear and consistent.

Now that the California regulations have gone into effect, it is important for the U.S. egg industry to engage with stakeholders within the industry to work toward creating long-term clarity on housing expectations.

Asking directions

To take the U.S. egg industry down the correct road, it’s critical to get direction from stakeholders, and clarify issues such as hen housing, hen well-being and egg safety. Regardless of which production system or systems are chosen, it is in the best interest of U.S. egg producers to initiate conversations with customers, consumers and other stakeholders, to minimize confusion and misinformation.

Conducting farm visits, holding informational webinars and increasing transparency would allow egg farmers to reaffirm their vision and future direction and share opportunities for mutually beneficial relationships in the future.

Engaging egg producers, agricultural leaders, customers, consumers, media, elected officials, academicians, regulators and others in the discussion about housing systems can create meaningful opportunities to establish common ground on issues of importance.

Participants in these discussions could include industry and stakeholder representatives who can provide relevant perspectives around transparency, choice and engagement. These discussions will help identify and engage specific individuals and organizations with a keen interest in those core areas.

Each stakeholder group owns a piece of the map to the future of the egg industry. To choose the correct fork in the road, it’s vital that egg industry stakeholders collaborate in order to see the whole map.

The most important message to share is that, regardless the housing system, eggs remain safe, inside and outside of California. No matter how the hens are housed, eggs are safe, and regulations remain, including the FDA’s Egg Safety Rule as well as state-by-state egg quality assurance programs, in effect to assure that’s the case.

Comparing housing systems

Today’s housing systems ensure the health and welfare needs of the hens are met, while also ensuring a safe, fresh, affordable supply of eggs for consumers. Egg producers recognize the need for study and evaluation of housing options, and that’s why they have supported research by The Coalition for Sustainable Egg Supply (CSES), a multi-stakeholder group.

CSES studied different housing systems’ impact on hen well-being, the environment, food affordability, food quality and safety and worker health and safety. This research found no differences in egg safety and quality between different hen housing systems. Enriched colony housing had higher production compared to conventional housing, which had higher production than the aviary system. In other words, each system comes with trade-offs.

You can see an overview of the research findings at www2.sustainableeggcoalition.org/document_center/download/CSES_InterimFindingsReport_JUL2014.pdf. 

Choosing the right path

As the egg industry works through these interesting times, starting in 2015 with the new regulations for sale of eggs in California, it’s vital that United Egg Producers, the American Egg Board and others continue to facilitate and deliver a united industry, to build confidence and trust with consumers and stakeholders. If the industry becomes fragmented or questions about the safety or quality of eggs arise, consumer trust will become fragmented as well.

Despite the absence of federal legislation, it is in the industry’s best interest to work toward common national housing standards. It is unworkable to have different rules and regulations for each state or region, in a global food system. As the industry continues working to develop best practices and standards, it’s important they be based on sound science and incorporate evolving consumer values.

The path to a thriving U.S. egg industry is still open, if the industry chooses the correct fork in the road. Engagement, transparency and collaboration will help the egg industry identify the path to a bright future.

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