Taiwan builds Asia’s first EU-style chicken house

Shi’an Farm in Kaoshiung City, Taiwan, is importing new equipment to construct the first Asian egg chicken house that will fit European Union standards.
Every mother hen must have at least 750 square centimeters of living space and the rooms must be at least 45 centimeters high. The width of the walking area and the length of the feed bunks also meet European Union standards. There are also egg-laying rooms, claw-rubbing rooms and a designated sleeping area in place of cages.
Manager of Shi’an Farm, Wenfeng Xie, said that the new chicken house will start off holding 120,000 chickens and producing 100,000 eggs per day, but will eventually rise to 500,000 chickens and 400,000 eggs per day. At that rate, said Xie, the facility can produce 140 million or more eggs per year.
The price of the eggs is high, however; a single package can cost around NTD 10–12 (US$0.33–$0.40), which is three to four times as much as the price of normal eggs.

UK egg producers face challenge in conventional cage ban

As the deadline of January 1, 2012 approaches for UK egg producers to reinvest in new systems, Klaus Torborg, of Lohmann Animal Health, does not expect producers to be penalized in the first half of 2012.
Torborg, who addressed UK egg producers at a recent Lohmann dinner, believes the government will be concentrating on dealing with the financial crisis, giving producers additional time to become compliant with the ban on conventional cages.

Klaus Torborg talks about the effect of the conventional cage ban on UK egg producers at the Lohmann dinner.

The British Egg Industry Council suggests that 8.349 million of the EU’s 363 million commercial layers are likely to be non-compliant with the cage ban when it goes into effect next year.

Possible EU cage ban delay condemned by welfare group

The suggestion that Belgian egg farmers may be allowed more time to comply with the upcoming EU cage ban has been condemned by animal welfare organization Eurogroup for Animals.
The possibility emerged when, in answer to a parliamentary question, a Belgian Minister suggested that she could grant producers who have not changed to another cage system by the January 2012 deadline a six-month extension. “We have called on the European Commission, together with our Belgian member GAIA, to ensure that Belgium is stopped and ordered to conform," said Director of Eurogroup Sonja van Tichelin. Commissioner [for Health and Consumer Affairs John] Dalli has repeatedly stated that there will be no postponement or exemption."

EU ministers vote against 2012 cage ban delay

The EU’s proposed ban on conventional cages is set to take effect in 2012.

Attempts to delay the EU’s proposed ban on conventional cages, due to come into force on Jan. 1, 2012, have been blocked. At a meeting of agriculture and fisheries ministers, various countries, including France, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK, all backed calls to ensure that the change was implemented on time.
“Egg producers in the UK, and indeed in many other European countries, have worked hard to convert out of battery cages ahead of the European deadline and have invested considerable sums converting their systems to ensure they meet the strictest possible standards," said British Veterinary Association President Harvey Locke. “The egg industry throughout Europe has had 12 years to prepare for this change in law.”

Reports suggest some caged EU hens will remain Jan. 2012

Recent reports suggest up to a third of EU hens will still be in cages at the Jan. 1, 2012, deadline for transition to colony housing or floor systems.
Providing non-compliant producers with an extension could be considered unfair to those who have made investments and would possibly operate at a financial disadvantage. Banning the sale of cage-derived eggs would represent hardship for consumers who would be obliged to pay more for eggs due to reduced supply. Even if eggs were imported to supply demand, in all probability, product would be derived from caged-housed hens, which would be inconsistent with the intended improvement in welfare.

Germany feels impact of cage ban

Just as British egg producers are preparing for new cage legislation in advance of an EU-wide ban in 2012, Klaus Torborg of Lohmann Animal Health addressed leading UK producers in Shropshire and spoke about Germany’s experience.
According to Torborg, the German industry delayed converting its systems. As a result, many producers have been forced out of production. The number of layers dropped from 40 million to around 33 million, and self-sufficiency in eggs fell from 70% to 55%. Imports have flooded in from other countries, particularly Holland, which has been quicker to convert its systems.
Torborg said Germany was over-eager in complying with EU policy and required enriched cages to be installed three years before it became necessary under EU law. But when the government changed to a conservative administration this was not repealed, so the efforts of producers who had installed enriched cages were not rewarded. Their eggs were labeled as "Class 3," the same as those from standard cages, he explained.
Another big influence on the industry has been discount supermarkets such as Aldi, Lidl and Netto. The discounters now account for about 47% of all eggs sold in Germany and, for marketing/animal welfare reasons, will not sell eggs from enriched cages. Most egg producers, despite high investment in enriched cages, will have to convert to the barn system, he said.
Cage houses converted to the barn system hold far fewer birds due to lower stocking density, so many producers are additionally faced with putting up new buildings if they wish to maintain their hen numbers.