the happy egg co. adds packing, distribution site in California

Noble Foods’ the happy egg co. continues to grow and expand its operations with the addition of a new Riverside County packing and distribution location in Norco, California. This will be the second packing location for the happy egg co., with the original facility in Summers, Arkansas.
“This additional capacity will ensure that the happy egg co. continues to grow and meet the demand for true free-range eggs at the speed, affordability and quality that consumers and retailers deserve,” said David Wagstaff, COO of Noble Foods Inc. “The successful growth we’ve seen allows us to take this natural next step to move closer to our West Coast retailers, provide an improved service and further decrease our carbon footprint.”
The free Range eggs from the happy egg co. come from hens from farms that allow the hens daily access to at least five acres of lush green fields and expert care from family farmers. The farms at the happy egg co. are all presently located in Missouri and Arkansas. However, with the new facility in California, the company may consider farms closer to the California facility as it experiences growth, a spokesman for the company said.
More space for the happy egg co. hens planned in near future
Already going well beyond the industry standard requirements for free-range, organic and cage-free eggs, the happy egg co. d has plans to expand and provide even more additional space per bird in the coming months.
“Educating consumers on the reality of the egg industry is a top priority for the happy egg co. in order to define the meaning of true free-range eggs and humanely raised standards,” Wagstaff said. “At the happy egg co., our free-to-roam hens always come first.”

South Australian research alliance, university to focus on poultry welfare

The South Australian Research and Development Institute and the University of Adelaide have formed the Southern Star Poultry Alliance, which will focus on animal welfare research in chicken meat and egg production, according to reports.
The alliance hopes to determine an appropriate hen stocking density for free-range egg production, said Professor Alan Tilbrook, livestock and farming systems research chief for the Institute. "What we'll be doing through the Southern Star Poultry Alliance is strategic, focused research that will be rigorous to try and get an outcome that will be acceptable right across the community," said Tilbrook.

UK poultry breast meat, free-range egg sales decline due to economy

The UK market for poultry meat and eggs has not been immune to ongoing economic difficulties in the country, including a decline in national sales of poultry breast meat, according to British Poultry Council chairman John Reed, who spoke at the 2012 British Pig and Poultry Fair.
Shoppers in the UK are switching to more dark meat and whole birds, due at least in part to their need to economize by cooking more meals at home instead of eating out, said Reed. The trend is likely to continue as consumers choose more value or standard products rather than paying extra for standard-plus, organic or free range.
Bird size at slaughter is also altering in response to the weak market. Several years of increasing broiler weights in the UK ended with the first economic crisis in 2007 and, since then, the average weight of bird marketed has declined. The reasons are thought to be due to cutbacks in consumer spending, a national increase in the number of single-person households and the demands coming from fast-food companies to supply them with a highly weight-specified raw material, according to Reed.
UK egg outlook
Demand for free-range eggs in the UK has collapsed, new data suggest. According to the latest figures on retail sales, for the first time in years the share of free range has dropped to below half the total market. Some 5 percent have been lost in the last year alone, with free range’s share of sales standing at 53 percent as recently as May 2011.
The reason is price, says the chief executive of Europe’s largest egg business, Peter Thornton, who addressed a discussion on the UK poultry meat and egg outlook at the Pig and Poultry Fair. A massive and growing differential has opened up over the past three months in the retail price for various egg categories, said Thornton. Customers have reacted by buying fewer free-range eggs and choosing instead lower-priced cage type. Sales of cage eggs at major retailers have surged this year by some 20 percent.
“In the current economic situation, the retail environment is very tough,” said Thornton. “Consumers are trading down and buying less. Over 40 percent of their purchases at present are grocery items being sold on promotion. For us, the big thing happening is the trading down from free-range to cage eggs, yet the free-range people are still talking of expansion. Although it is likely that the current demand for cage eggs will moderate, free-range producers should still take at least a two-year view of the market outlook, rather than trying to fill an expected short-term gap in supplies.”

Taiwan study implicates free-range eggs

In a comparative study conducted in Taiwan, scientists demonstrated significant levels of polychlorinated dibenzo-b-dioxins and dibenzofurans (dioxins) in eggs collected from free-range flocks. An average level of 1.79 ppb was record in the free-range eggs with levels ranging from 1.8 to 5.5 ppb. In contrast a level of 0.3 ppb was determined in eggs derived from caged flocks with minimal variation suggesting that this level may in fact be a threshold.
Free-range hens are susceptible to ingesting toxins in soil. Dioxins which are released into the air from incineration of municipal garbage are all the probability the source of contamination. In contrast, caged hens which are housed in environmentally controlled building are protected from this source of contamination. The published results* contradict the perception that free-range eggs are more wholesome than commercial eggs derived from confined flocks.
*Hsu, J-F. Chen, C. and Liao, P-C. Elevated PCDD/F levels and distinctive PCDD/F congener profiles in free range eggs (2010) J. Agric. Foods Chem. 58:7708-7714.

Why do you raise chickens?

I raise chickens because I like being self-sufficient and enjoy the many benefits of fresh eggs. The eggs from my backyard are fresher than anything I can get in a store, and they're more nutritious, too!
It is important to me to know where my food comes from, how it is cared for, and what is in it. My backyard chickens are as free range and organic as I can let them be, eating only things chickens should eat like bugs, worms, whole grains and whatever else they can chase down or scratch out of the earth. Read the full blog on www.poultrytribune.com.

Study shows better feed conversion, immune response in caged hens

Dr. Ken Anderson of the North Carolina State University poultry science department recently presented results from a comparison of brown-strain hens reared and housed in cages or on range.
In the case of the non-confined pullets, rearing through 12 weeks was completed in litter pens followed by movement to range. Performance was monitored from 17 to 82 weeks of age. Pullets reared in cages were 93 grams heavier than pullets reared on range. There was a 13% reduction in feed consumed by range pullets consistent with body weight and supplementation from foliage. Caged hens showed significantly higher feed conversion efficiency and egg mass. There was no significant difference in egg weight or size. Caged hens produced 90% grade A eggs, compared with 86% for the range hens, although there was no difference in the number of checks between the housing systems.
There were no differences in cholesterol content of eggs and both vitamin A and E levels were similar. Eggs from the range-housed hens had higher total fat and, correspondingly, both monounsaturated fat and polyunsaturated fat levels compared to caged hens. There was a numerical but nutritionally insignificant difference in omega-3 content of eggs (0.13%). Beta-carotene levels were higher in the range-housed hens compared to the caged hens, although this difference could be compensated for by supplementation with commercially available xanthopyll supplements.
The immune response of range-housed hens was lower than their counterparts in cages. This was determined by antibody tier following Newcastle disease vaccination.

UK executive imprisoned, ordered to pay £3.25m in egg labeling scandal

Keith Owen, leader of Heart of England Eggs in Worcestershire, United Kingdom, has been sentenced to three years in prison and ordered to pay a total of £3.25M — a £3M confiscation order and £250,000 in prosecution costs — on three counts of false accounting. Defra — the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs — alleged that the company sold millions of eggs laid by caged birds as free-range or organic.
The UK National Farmers’ Union supported the sentence.
Charles Bourns, NFU poultry board chairman, said in a press release, “I welcome the outcome of this trial. The confiscation order and custodial sentence handed down by the courts sends out a strong message that this kind of activity will not be tolerated. The vast majority of people working within the egg industry are hardworking and honest. Thankfully cases like this are few and far between.”
Bourns said the British Lion quality assurance program, which establishes best practices for egg production, “has strengthened its code of practice to ensure its traceability is robust, with on-farm stamping, a new database to track eggs throughout the system and unannounced audits.” Egg producers using cages, cage-free aviaries or free-range housing are all eligible for the British Lion program, but must agree not to misrepresent their housing systems to consumers.
“Consumers can be reassured that with new procedures in place, the eggs they are buying are genuine,” Bourne said.

RSPCA eases restrictions on free-range eggs

The Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) is doubling the allowed density of birds from 1,000 per hectare to 2,000, as demand for free-range eggs continues to grow.
With the increased hens come regulations to increase shelter and other provisions needed for the birds’ welfare. This remains a tighter standard than those in the EU.
Demand for free-range eggs has soared, due to public campaigns and celebrities endorsing the product.
If the demand cannot be met, overseas eggs produced under lower welfare standards would potentially be imported.