American Humane accepts enriched colony housing

American Humane Certified, the farm animal welfare program of the American Humane Association, said it will accept enriched colony housing systems as humane for commercial laying hens. The decision gives egg producers an option, in addition to cage-free housing, to conventional confinement cages, banned in California and Michigan.
The group said it will not certify conventional cages, but found after scientific review that enhanced colony housing is acceptable, in part because the system provides nesting boxes and perches, in addition to other enrichments, which allow hens to exhibit natural behaviors.

Manitoba to ban conventional cages

Effective 2018, egg production in the Canadian province of Manitoba must be derived from enriched housing.
There are approximately 2.6 million hens in Manitoba, with eggs produced under a quota system.

How to destroy an industry?

In the International Egg Commission International Egg Market Annual Review a distinguished economist and consultant to the IEC Professor Hans-Wilhelm Windhorst documents the effect of a ban on cages in the EU. What has occurred is an obvious application of The Law of Unintentional Consequences. During the period 2002 through 2007, egg production in the EU fell by 2.5%. This aggregate figure disguises the fact that the loss in domestic output was considerably higher in countries that followed directive 1999/74/EC in advance of the 2012 implementation date.
According to Dr. Windhorst the problem has been exacerbated by a number of prominent supermarket chains in Germany refusing to stock eggs derived from caged flocks. In Germany and Austria all cages will be banned from 2010, hastening the demise of conventional flocks. The German Bundesrat (legislature) has waivered over whether to allow or ban colony cages. Farmers who invested in this system in anticipation of the ban on conventional cages are now faced with being excluded from major markets and will not in any event recover a premium for their additional costs. It is anticipated that by the end of 2009 the total number of hens in Germany will be reduced by 6 to 7 million.
The cost of replacing conventional cages with non-confined systems in the EU is estimated to be $10 billion. Raising capital to replace egg production facilities is regarded as unlikely given the current restrictions on loan capital to agricultural enterprises. The longer the delay in deciding on alternative systems, the greater will be the escalation in cost and the eventual impact on profitability. Read the full blog on AnimalAgNet.com.

Compromise on California Proposition 2 evaporates

California House Bill AB 1437, which was introduced by Jared Huffman, Assemblyman for San Rafael, to attempt compromise between opposing parties with respect to Proposition 2 has been dissolved.
Both the Humane Society of the United States, which promoted Proposition 2 and the California Egg Industry which opposed it, rejected the bill. The bill would have allowed the Department of Public Health to develop standards for stocking density in cages in order to clarify the wording of Proposition 2, which passed with a 27% margin in November 2008.
HSUS objected on the grounds that AB 1437 would alter the intent of Proposition 2 to effectively ban cage confinement of hens and the industry was disinclined to allow any government agency to develop standards for housing flocks.

Investigation initiates change in layer housing

Following a welfare investigation of a Maine farm and refusal of deliveries by supermarket chains, the chief executive officer of Radlo Foods said they will stop using cage confinement systems.
On April 1 the Maine Department of Agriculture, together with a representative of the State Animal Welfare Department entered an in-line egg production complex in Turner, Maine.
The farm, owned by Quality Egg of New England LLC, is one of eight similar units formerly owned and operated by companies under the control of Austin “Jack” DeCoster who established the complex of approximately 4 million hens during the mid-1960s.
During the 1990s the operation was subjected to penalties imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and a multi-million dollar settlement of an action brought by employees and was reorganized in 1997 as an LLC.
The present problem arises from an undercover investigation by Mercy for Animals who placed an agent in the farm as an employee of Maine Contract Farms LLC, responsible for flock management. Allegations including neglect of flocks and mishandling are currently under investigation by state authorities and if substantiated will be referred to the Franklin County District Attorney. The farm was leased from Quality Egg LLC by Radlo Foods to produce branded eggs.
Faced with adverse publicity, a number of supermarket chains in the state and region refused deliveries of eggs from the complex. A national company that had franchised Radlo Foods, initiated an immediate investigation of the allegations. The franchisee revoked the agreement with Radlo Foods on grounds Radlo "was working with a farm that is not in compliance with the strict animal welfare standards required." Radlo Foods in turn is withdrawing from the operation in Maine.
Radlo Foods has pledged to become an exclusively cage-free company within 10 years.