The 'no to cage-free' at the OIE from some Latin Americans

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) carried out last week its virtual 88th general session.

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(Aleksandra Baranova | Bigstock)
(Aleksandra Baranova | Bigstock)

The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) carried out last week its virtual 88th general session. This time, there was a vote to define the new parameters of laying hen welfare in the world, a proposal that was not approved, because only 46% voted in favor and two thirds are needed to pass it. OIE reported a 35% of votes against it and 19% abstentions.

It seems that the breaking point was the "suggestion" of alternative production systems different from cages, and rumor has it that at least Mexico, Colombia and Peru in the Americas said no to the OIE proposal. Let us remember that these three countries are among the largest egg producers in the region and the world, and home of some of the largest egg companies.

The developed world insists on imposing its way of thinking to the rest of the world. And among those countries, it is in particular the pressure groups with an agenda that has nothing to do with the real life "down there." Let me give you an example: Mexico has the lowest average wage of the OECD members. That is, an average Mexican makes 3.6 times less money that the average citizen of Luxembourg, Iceland, Switzerland or the United States.

It is really fair to impose a more expensive animal protein (the cheapest, by the way) to everybody? Why? To expiate other people's sins?

I applaud the 'no' of these countries. We cannot afford to switch to alternative, without the risk of losing food security and food availability, in addition to severely impacting the egg producing business. If we say 'yes' now to the proposal of having all production systems as good, the next step will be to ban cages worldwide.

I also applaud the fact of having options. If you are a lucky one that can eat a cage-free egg at breakfast at ABC hotel (well… when traveling opens up) or at XYZ restaurant, good for you! But do not push that agenda to those that cannot stay at ABC hotel, even before the pandemic (luckily, they probably could only work there). Not to mention the impact on the carbon footprint.

What do you think?

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