California egg farmers want clarification on Proposition 2, join lawsuit

The Association of California Egg Farmers has filed an Application to Intervene in the Superior Court of California, seeking to become a party in the lawsuit brought by JS West Milling Company against the state of California and the Humane Society of the United States. The lawsuit seeks clarity on what Proposition 2 requires for egg-laying hen housing systems.
Last December, JS West filed the lawsuit seeking a clear understanding on whether its newly constructed housing system meets the requirements of Proposition 2. The lawsuit seeks a determination of the specific types of housing systems because the law does not provide the exact size or dimension for an enclosure. The law also fails to state the number of hens that can occupy the enclosure, the density or otherwise specify the furnishings within the enclosure. According to JS West, more specific information on housing standards is needed as soon as possible so California's egg farmers have sufficient time to fund and make the necessary changes to their facilities prior to the law going into effect on Jan. 1, 2015.
"The JS West lawsuit is of great importance to the state's egg farmers who need clear guidance on how much space and what types of housing systems will be legal, and ACEF needs to be a party in that lawsuit," said Debbie Murdock, executive director of ACEF. "Compliance requires the egg farmers to spend a significant amount of money on construction costs long before the law takes effect in 2015. Egg farmers will soon invest hundreds of millions of dollars on their facilities, and in doing so, they should not be forced to guess whether their new facilities will comply with Proposition 2." 

Study released on microbiological quality of eggs from cages, alternative systems

Scientists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service Poultry Microbiological Safety Research Unit, Russell Research Center, in cooperation with the University of Georgia’s Department of Poultry Science, have completed a study to compare the microbiological quality of eggs derived from either cages or two floor systems. Project #641 was funded by the U.S. Poultry & Egg Association.
Non-washed eggs produced by hens housed on shavings had slightly higher aerobic bacterial levels compared to eggs produced on slats. Both floor treatments had significantly higher bacterial levels than eggs produced in cages. Washing of eggs significantly reduced aerobic bacteria and coliforms. Moving hens from floor systems to cages reduced contamination. Following re-transfer back to floor systems, aerobic contamination of shells returned to previously higher levels.
The study also evaluated the potential for horizontal transmission of Salmonella spp. by determining the prevalence rate in hens in the three systems. Hens on shavings yielded a value of 40%, 18% on slats and 15% in cages. The prevalence of Campylobacter spp. attained 43% on shavings compared to 36% on slats and 28% in cages. It is noted that campylobacteriosis is not an egg-borne disease since the organism is extremely sensitive to desiccation during storage and to decontamination by washing. There is no evidence that vertical transmission of Campylobacter spp. occurs among hens held for egg production, irrespective of housing system.

Data shows consumers buy more regular eggs

American consumers buy regular eggs more than cage-free eggs by 40-to-1, according to checkout scanner data gathered from 34,000 stores by Information Resources Inc. Results were presented recently by the United Egg Producers, a national farmer cooperative and trade association for America’s egg farmers.
Eggs produced in traditional cage housing systems were the most popular eggs among supermarket shoppers, accounting for 92% of the 21 billion eggs bought at stores last year, according data. Cage-free eggs only account for 2% of all retail eggs bought, and organic/free-range eggs accounted for only 1%. Sales of all three types of eggs were relatively flat compared to the previous year.