Every egg farmer knows that data collected on the farm is an essential tool to properly manage birds, but the value of data at macro-level is not always appreciated.
Imagine raising pullet birds without ever weighing them or managing egg production without properly accounting for feed consumption and total egg production. It simply cannot be done. So, why are we not as diligent with data at the macro level?
For global statistics, the only source of data for eggs is from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO). National governments submit their figures or FAO staff provide estimates of local production. Updated on at least an annual basis, FAOSTAT constitutes the best repository of information about eggs. However, the data is not always in agreement with the estimates made by the local private sector.
Differing approaches
For instance, the production numbers estimated by Australian Eggs, a producer-owned corporation representing approximately 400 commercial egg producers, have usually differed quite significantly from official government data, due to different ways of evaluating the contribution of small producers and that of household owning a few hens.
Estimating egg production can become quite complicated in a country such as Indonesia, for example, spreading over 17,000 islands and about 5,000 kms. In 2017, Statistics Indonesia revised its evaluation procedures and egg production jumped from 1.485 million metric tons (MT) to 4.632 million (MT), meaning at least an additional 160 million laying hens in production. The annual per capita consumption of eggs also jumped from 95 to 292 eggs.
Obviously, the approach to marketing eggs is quite different when you are 85 eggs below the world average of 180 eggs or 112 eggs above the world average. Solid data can contribute significantly to the success of the marketing approaches taken by farmers and national organizations.
Data have been been one of the major factors behind the success of FENAVI, the national producers’ association in Colombia, where egg consumption has risen by 77% in 15 years. Accurate estimates have been critical in the evaluation of the various promotional campaigns and fine tuning consumer messaging.
Statistics in a number of countries also allow the clear tracking of egg consumption, either in the form of shell eggs or egg products. In Canada, for example, the data has shown that although Egg Farmers of Canada promotes only shell eggs, a halo effect reached the processed egg segment, growing at a faster pace than that of shell eggs.
Investing in good data makes sense on the farm and also makes sense at the national level. More national organizations should consider good data as their first step towards promoting egg consumption.