Egg farmers fight childhood hunger

As part of the Good Egg Project, where farmers donate to local food banks, America's egg farmers are joining forces with Share Our Strength's No Kid Hungry campaign to raise awareness and encourage others to help fight childhood hunger.
"As egg farmers, it's essential we do our part to help feed the hungry and we are committed to providing Americans, especially children, with high-quality protein eggs so they can stay energized and perform their best," said Roger Deffner, chairman of the American Egg Board.
"In addition to donating more than 48 million eggs to local food banks across the country, America's egg farmers are proud to partner with Share Our Strength to support and feed kids in need," Deffner said.
"Childhood hunger is a nationwide problem. The good news, however, is that it is a solvable problem," said Billy Shore, founder and CEO of Share Our Strength.
"The No Kid Hungry strategy is ensuring kids in need are getting the healthy food they need, every day. Working with partners like America's egg farmers, we are successfully connecting more kids to effective nutrition programs inside and outside the classroom while teaching families how to cook healthy, affordable meals," Shore added.
Those interested in fighting childhood hunger can take the Good Egg Project pledge. For every pledge made, America's egg farmers will donate one egg to local food banks.

Feeding hungry children starts with breakfast
Eggs are a good source of high-quality protein that helps keep children energized, and research shows that starting the day with breakfast leads to better learning and test scores in schools. Eggs are also one of the few foods that are naturally a good source of vitamin D, which aids calcium in helping grow strong bones. However, high-quality protein foods like eggs are often in short supply at the nation's food banks, where many families go for food support - especially during summer months.
Once eggs are laid, farmers carefully wash, package and deliver to the grocery store - or food bank - within 72 hours, ensuring families and children in need are getting a quality, nutritious product.

California egg farmers challenge Proposition 2 in state court

The Association of California Egg Farmers has been trying since Proposition 2’s passage four years ago to get resolution on what type of hen housing meets the law’s requirements.

The Association of California Egg Farmers filed suit on November 16, 2012, in Fresno County Superior Court asking the court to find that the language of Proposition 2 is unconstitutionally vague according to California law. The association contends that the law's lack of clarity in size and density requirements for housing laying hens prevents egg farmers from modifying their housing facilities in time to comply with the January 1, 2015, implementation date.

Prior legal challenges


Proposition 2 has already has faced two court challenges. The first unsuccessfully tried to clarify the type and dimensions of housing for hens required by the law, and the second lawsuit, filed by egg producer William Cramer, challenged Proposition 2 under the U.S. Constitution. The Cramer lawsuit was dismissed by a federal judge with prejudice in September. In his ruling, U.S. District Judge John Walter wrote, "The court concludes that the Proposition 2 is not impermissibly vague in all of its applications, or even in a single application, as argued by plaintiff. Proposition 2 provides a person of ordinary intelligence more than a reasonable opportunity to know what is prohibited and provides explicit and objective standards to prevent discriminatory enforcement." The Association of California Egg Farmers tried unsuccessfully to intervene in Cramer's suit and now challenges Proposition 2 under the California Constitution. Dale Stern, attorney for the Association of California Egg Farmers, explained that the standard of proof for a void for vagueness challenge is different under the California constitution than it is under the federal constitution in some respects. “Challenging under the federal constitution on a charge of void for vagueness means you have to allege and prove that the statute is vague in all of its applications,” Stern said. “Under the California Constitution, you have to allege and prove that the statute is vague under all of its reasonable and practical applications. The burden of proof is different. In some cases it isn’t more or less; it is just different.”


Asking for clarity


Stern said that if the case survives demurrer from the state, and the Cramer case did not, he expects that the trial wouldn’t be completed until late 2013 or early 2014. Then, even if egg producers prevail, there could be an appeal from the state or another party, such as the Humane Society of the United States. He said that the Association of California Egg Farmers has been trying since Proposition 2’s passage four years ago to get resolution on what type of hen housing meets the law’s requirements. “The lawsuit is the last option,” he said.

Arnie Riebli, president of the Association of California Egg Farmers, said, "California's egg farmers have spent the last four years attempting to gain a clear understanding of how to comply with Proposition 2, but, unfortunately, we are no closer today to knowing how to comply than we were when the law first passed in 2008. Given the ambiguity in Proposition 2 and the risk of criminal prosecution for violating it, egg farmers have no choice other than to challenge the validity of the law."


The Cramer lawsuit was dismissed before the Association of California Egg Farmers was allowed to participate, and Stern said that the current lawsuit will be the Association of California Egg Farmers’ first opportunity to make their arguments in court. "With the law taking effect in just over two years, egg farmers cannot afford to wait any longer to begin construction of new hen enclosures, but their dilemma is making a multi-million dollar investment in new housing systems that could end up being considered illegal,” Stern said. “The California Attorney General has been unwilling or unable to take a position on this key point. The State Department of Food and Agriculture commissioned a study at the University of California at Davis, which concluded that the law is unclear. As a result, the Association of California Egg Farmers has no choice but to reluctantly seek invalidation of this poorly drafted proposition."


Enclosure size hinges on an assumption


Stern said that the University of California’s expert told the state Department of Food and Agriculture, “I can’t tell you because it is ambiguous, but if we assume that only one bird at a time needs to be able to perform the pirouette behavior than here is the math to figure out how much space you need.”
Stern contends that the key defect in Proposition 2’s language is the assumption that only one bird needs to be able to perform the behavior at a time. He said that the judge needs to tell the industry that the law is either ambiguous, or if the ruling is that the law is “crystal clear,” the judge needs to say what the law means. “The key ambiguity of Proposition 2 is how many birds need to be able to perform the prescribed behaviors at the same time,” Stern said.


Shipping eggs into California
When asked whether or not Proposition 2’s requirements for housing hens could be enforced on egg producers outside of California who want to sell eggs in California, Stern used the example of standards that have been set for milk sold in California. “There are dairy requirements that make it difficult for producers outside of California to send milk into the state based on food safety, health and wholesomeness,” Stern said. “That law is challenged from time to time. So far it has survived. But it is not a slam dunk each time it is challenged.” He said that he wouldn’t be surprised if sometime around January 1, 2015, an out-of-state interest tried to challenge Proposition 2’s requirements for out-of-state egg producers. Stern said that he wouldn’t predict how that legal challenge might turn out, but said that it “wouldn’t be a slam dunk either way.”
“This of course concerns the California [egg] industry,” Stern said.

Regional egg marketing debated at Poultry Forum, EuroTier

Whether the regional marketing of eggs is sustainable or merely short term hype was discussed by Hans-Peter Goldnick, an egg, strawberry and asparagus producer operating in the north of Germany, as part of the EuroTier Poultry Forum.
His farm, Hornbrooker Hof, in Schleswig Holstein, Germany, had been supplying strawberries to the one local jam producer. Given the power that this sole producer had in purchasing agreement, Goldnick decided to market his produce himself.
Regional marketing is now more popular in Germany than organic. It is the number one consideration among German consumers, he noted, and evokes a feeling of going back to one’s roots and offering associations of quality and safety. In a recent poll, 43 percent of those consumers surveyed agreed with the statement: “I’m interested in products from my region."
For today’s consumers, the association of regional might remind them of their childhood, nature, flavor, control, even getting away from globalization. Every big food scandal pushes consumers more toward locally produced food, he claimed.
Forty-eight percent of consumers now say that they look for food with a local claim, and this can also be because they are more likely to trust local producers, believe that produce will be fresher, and want to keep jobs in their region. Seventy-nine percent of consumers say that they are prepared to spend more on locally produced goods.
However, Goldnick noted, survey responses and reality are often not the same thing. In Germany, he continued, only 40 percent of consumers are quality oriented, and while particular food claims may be highly successful in some more southerly European countries they are not likely to be so widely adopted in Germany.
And against this needs to be weighed the fact that 50 percent of all eggs produced in Germany are not sold as shell eggs, but go for catering and processing, and that of the 50 percent that are sold as shell eggs, half are sold by discounters.
In light of the above, how much room is there for farmers to make regional claims?
He concluded that regional marketing is a niche option, and can work for some farmers, but that it cannot be a solution for all egg producers.

UK egg industry launches site to support local producers

The organizers of the UK’s Lion Quality mark, which is applied to eggs produced in compliance with the Lion Quality Code of Practice, have launched a new website to support the fight to keep eggs and egg products produced from illegal cages out of the UK. Visitors to the website www.legaleggs.com are encouraged to sign a pledge supporting British egg producers. Since the site was launched, more than 5,000 visitors have signed the pledge. “There is now a huge amount of awareness and support for British egg producers and I expect the number of pledges to rise,” said Andrew Parker, chairman of the British Egg Industry Council.

Egg farm's wastewater treatment system recycles nutrients

Dave Thompson of Pearl Valley Eggs explains each step of the farm's innovative wastewater treatment system, which utilizes aerobic bacteria and a reed bed to recycle nutrients from the egg wash water. Watch the video here.

Canada poultry, egg farmers want focus on food security

Canada's poultry, egg and dairy farmers have joined an international coalition of farm groups endorsing a "Call for Coherence" regarding the balancing of global agricultural trade agreements and country-level food security.
The declaration, made two days before the G20 Ministers of Agriculture meeting being held in Paris, France, calls for both fair and equitable trade rules and policy space for individual countries to meet their own food security objectives. "We are questioning whether the approach of simply opening markets — giving no consideration whatsoever to non-trade issues and how these impact farmers who produce the world's food — is really the best way forward," said David Fuller, chairman of Chicken Farmers of Canada. "Better coherence is needed between any [World Trade Organization] agriculture agreement and those commitments WTO member states must observe in the international treaties they've already signed on issues such as poverty, hunger, climate change and biodiversity."
The farm groups have asked those involved in the meeting to keep in mind that all countries should have the right to produce for domestic consumption in order to improve self-sufficiency and ensure their food security. Trade rules, they said, should allow for policy measures that promote the stability of food supplies and prices, and all countries should have the right to meet the non-trade concerns of their citizens — food safety, the environment, animal welfare and needs of rural areas — to promote sustainable agriculture, help combat climate change and protect biodiversity.

California egg producer moving forward after Proposition 2

JS West installed enriched colonies in a purpose built building on one farm in an attempt to comply with California Proposition 2.

California Proposition 2, which passed in November 2008, takes effect on January 1, 2015. In essence, Proposition 2 states a bird must be able to sit down, stand up, turn around and extend her limbs without touching another bird or the sides of an enclosure, according to Jill Benson, vice president of JS West & Companies.
By January of 2015, all shell eggs sold in California will have to meet Proposition 2 requirements for rearing of the hens. The problem is that the state has not said what housing systems meet the standard.

Asking the judge
In July of 2010, JS West placed its first flock of around 150,000 hens in a purpose built house with a Big Dutchman enriched colony housing system. American Humane Certified announced that this enriched colony housing meets its science-based standards for humane housing and it can be certified. Enriched colony systems provide hens with a wide range of behavioral opportunities such as perching, nesting and dust bathing.
Because of inaction by the state of California, JS West decided that it needed to take legal steps to get a decision on whether or not its enriched colony housing systems will comply with Proposition 2. “JS West filed a lawsuit against the state of California and the Humane Society of the United States to get a declaratory judgment from the judge to say that the enriched colony barn that they built will comply come 2015,” said Benson. “The judge will not set a standard per se, but will look at the specific housing system and come to a decision on whether or not it complies with the vague verbiage of Proposition 2. The judge will also share how he came to that decision, which will allow other egg farmers to know what will comply or not.”
Benson said that JS West, which has 1.8 million layers in California, is committed to navigating its way through the regulations and uncertainty and staying in the egg business.
“We believe that California consumers will always want a California egg, and whatever that egg turns out to be, we hope to care for the hens that lay them,” said Benson. “That is why we have taken such an active role in trying to determine our future.”
Read the rest of the article on WATTAgNet.

American Egg Board promotes new nutrient values

The American Egg Board recently hosted a successful Good Egg Project at the Grand Central Station to promote the release of recent USDA nutrient assay results. The latest data disclosed 25% less cholesterol and higher Vitamin D levels in generic eggs. The event was themed on a “farmers market” with free egg samples, informational literature and demonstrations by Howard Helmer and Jeffrey Saad.
The latest USDA data received national attention as the AEB launched a concerted seven-day program involving a wide range of media. The AEB has placed 1,100 stories generating 126 million impressions including mentions on USA Today, NBC Nightly News, ABC World News Tonight, Good Morning America, CNN and The Wall Street Journal.
The AEB also arranged a luncheon for 30 food and health editors in New York City to announce the new cholesterol and Vitamin D levels hosted by Dr. Mitch Kanter of the Egg Nutrition Center. Attendees included representatives from Ladies’ Home Journal, Good Housekeeping, Shape and http://www.weightwatchers.com/.

New York state bill to mandate SE vaccination

Bill A5912-2011 was recently introduced into the State of New York Legislature, sponsored by five members. The State Agriculture and Marketing Law would be amended by adding section 96-(c)-30 to mandate compulsory vaccination of flocks supplying eggs intended for sale in the state of New York.
The proposed amendment will empower the commissioner of agriculture to establish and issue rules and regulations relating to vaccination of flocks against SE.
This action is effectively “window dressing” since it is unlikely that that are any commercial flocks either in New York state or are operated to ship eggs from supplying states that have not been vaccinated. Since the commissioner will subsequently have to rule on the types of vaccines, routes of administration and ages of flocks receiving vaccine it is not possible to comment on the proposal.
At best it will make no difference to the incidence rate of SE among consumers in New York state, and at worst it will add additional costs for paperwork, administration and surveillance.

US egg farmers launch new 'incredible edible egg' ad campaign

America's egg farmers have introduced "You Do Everything," a new national advertising campaign for the "incredible edible egg" focusing on how an all-natural, high-quality protein breakfast can contribute to a successful day.
"Eggs are often a part of weekend breakfasts, but there is an opportunity to make eggs a bigger part of Americans' weekday breakfast routines," said Kevin Burkum, senior vice president of marketing for the American Egg Board. "This new advertising builds on a universal truth that parents will do whatever it takes to help their child succeed in school, sports and beyond. We want to remind parents that success starts with an all-natural, high-quality protein breakfast, like eggs, to give kids the energy they need to perform their best throughout the day."
The ads are currently running in spots during "Good Morning America," the "Rachael Ray Show," on the Food Network and online.

IRI report: majority of Americans purchase traditional eggs

Source: United Egg Producers

A recently released Information Resources Inc. (IRI) report reveals that the overwhelming majority of American consumers continue to buy traditionally produced eggs.
According to the report, Americans purchase 19.8 billion (96%) traditional eggs annually. In comparison, 619 million (3%) eggs purchased are cage-free and 227 million (1%) are organic free range. Perhaps as a result of these numbers, cage-free and organic eggs have dropped in retail price, with cage-free coming in at $2.50 per dozen (down 14% from a year ago) and organic free range decreasing to $2.64 per dozen (33% less than a year ago). In contrast, traditional egg retail prices are up 8% to $1.02 per dozen.
According to the International Egg Commission, 85% of eggs are produced in traditional cages.

Cornell stages cage-free debate, takes on HSUS

In a recent debate entitled, “Cage-Free verses Conventional Eggs,” Professor Joe Regenstein, of the Cornell University Department of Food Science, faced Josh Balk, outreach director of the Humane Society of the United Sates. The event was held in front of an audience of students and faculty comprising the academic community of the Ivy. The debate was sponsored by the Students’ Assemblies Dining Committee and comprised a 10-minute presentation followed by discussion and interchanges.
Balk presented a video documenting five farms with cages “that were not well maintained but remained approved by the United Egg Producers.” The opponent of cage systems also invoked the alleged higher prevalence rate of salmonella infection in caged hens compared to floor housing.
Gail Finan, director of Cornell Dining, noted that the university had recently switched back to conventional from cage-free based on the significant expense. She added that students have not shown much interest in the issue. Other concerns such as local foods and cost were more important factors than housing of hens in purchase decisions.

Egg farmers worldwide help feed the hungry

More than 17 million eggs have been distributed in the last 12 months to those in need thanks to egg farmers around the world, according to the International Egg Commission.
International hunger relief charities working in Central America, the Caribbean, Asia, Africa and Europe have all been recipients of donations. In response to the earthquake in Haiti, American egg farmers donated more than 3 million eggs to the charity feeding disaster survivors. In addition, American and Canadian farmers routinely donate shell eggs to charities and food banks all over their respective countries. Canadian farmers also donate large quantities of powdered egg; in the last 12 months Canada has sent 16 metric tons of powdered egg to help communities around the world. Farmers in India, Thailand, Italy, Finland and the Czech Republic are also well-known for providing eggs annually to charitable institutions and food programs in their own countries.
As the world's population continues to grow, "egg farmers from all around the world are working together to help solve this problem and provide a source of high quality protein to help feed this growing population," said Chairman of the International Egg Commission Frank Pace.