IEC leadership conference moving because of political unrest

The International Egg Commission (IEC) board has decided to relocate its 2014 Global Leadership Conference from Bangkok, Thailand, to Edinburgh, Scotland. The IEC board has been closely following the political and military situation in Thailand and has unanimously decided to change the venue to assure the safety and security of its members and delegates.
The forthcoming IEC Global Leadership Conference will be held on the same dates – September 7-11. The conference will be based at the Sheraton Grand Hotel in Edinburgh.
The IEC wants the 50th anniversary conference to be well-attended and hopes the decision to relocate to Edinburgh will give all delegate groups the confidence to travel to the conference by using the next scheduled host city. Event preparations are already well underway, with first class venues and activities planned.
The IEC looks forward to welcoming delegates to Edinburgh for the 2014 Global Leadership Conference and to help celebrate its 50th anniversary.

International Egg Commission elects new chairman

At the International Egg Commission (IEC)'s 2010 conference in Prague, Joanne Ivy was elected to the position of IEC chairman.
Ivy has been the president of the American Egg Board since 2007, and has been involved with the IEC for 23 years. She has served as chair of the IEC's marketing committee and has been an office holder since 2001. In 2005 Ivy received the Denis Wellstead Memorial Trophy as the International Egg Person of the Year.

IEC speaks on enriched colony cages

The organizers of the 2009 IEC Conference arranged a panel of EU experts to review progress in adoption of enriched colony cages. In 2008, 7% of the 278 million confined hens in the EU were housed in colony cages. Germany leads the nations of the EU in adoption of the system, referred to as Kleingruppenhaltung, which is translated as “housing in small groups.”
In contrast, Austria has banned colony cages, effective 2020. Sweden has allowed colony systems following the phasing out of conventional cages at the end of 2002. Belgium will ban conventional cages beginning in 2012, but will allow enriched colony cages through 2024.
Studies conducted on colony cages in the Netherlands showed more than 95% of eggs were laid in nest boxes, and 90% of the hens used perches at night. Evaluations of the behavior of hens in cages are still in progress, with attempts to correlate performance with activity of flocks in a small group. It is estimated egg production costs 10% more in colony cages compared to conventional cages. In the EU, there is no premium for eggs derived from colony systems as compared to free range and non-confined flocks.
The question arose at the conference asking if enriched colony cages will comply with emerging U.S. animal welfare guidelines including California Proposition #2 and the recently enacted law in Michigan. A reading of both items would appear to exclude colony cages.
The HSUS and others regard a cage of any form as “confinement” and non-compliant with their position that hens must be able to “spread their wings without touching either side of an enclosure or another bird.” This provision would effectively eliminate colony cages and may extend to any non-confined barn system depending on interpretation. Advancing colony cages, as a means of appeasing the HSUS and PETA, will be futile, given abolition of intensive livestock production is the ultimate goal of these groups.

IEC conference speaks to branding, marketing

At the recent International Egg Commission Conference, Dr. Jan-Benedict Steenkamp shared his views on branding, emphasizing “strong brands don’t just happen; they are created.”
He maintained that branding eggs represents a practical alternative to store-designations since consumers invariably seek out brand names to simplify the purchase process. Since most consumers make a purchase decision within 20 seconds, it is important for brands to be featured on packs. In addition, product attributes including nutritional content should also be clearly visible.
Brand promotions can be extremely effective, providing consumers can appreciate the attributes of the product. Competitive advantages accrue to successful brands despite the costs associated with advertising. Steenkamp maintains brand promotion is most effective in concentrated markets such as the major metropolitan areas of the U.S.
With the supermarket industry representing an oligopoly in the U.S. and the EU, and the inclinations of multinationals toward store brands, producers must be flexible and prepared to sell both generic and premium products to the major chains. At the end of the day, the reality is that supermarkets own their shelves. They are, however, prepared to sell both specialty and store brands in response to consumer demand since customers loyal to a specific brand may fill their weekly baskets at a competing store with broader offerings.
Of special importance to the U.S. industry is the distinction between generic and brand promotion. Steenkamp recognizes the role generic promotion may have in dispelling misconceptions among consumers. A specific example is the work of the American Egg Board in removing the stigma of cholesterol from eggs.