Embracing more humane cages hasn’t made Manitoba Egg Farmers popular with egg producers in Canada.”We took a bold move and went forward,” said Manitoba Egg Farmers chair Harold Froese to the Manitoba Farm Writers and Broadcasters Association April 28.”Now we are being considered even more than we were before (to be) leaders in the animal care industry. That’s what our objective was, because we didn’t want a provincial government or an activist group or whoever it was making decisions for us about animal care in Manitoba without us.”The Manitoba Egg Farmers recently raised eyebrows and drew some criticism from fellow Canadian egg producers when it announced that any new egg producers getting quota in Manitoba would have to use “enriched cages” or more humane forms of hen housing.And it approved a policy requiring the same for existing producers building new barns from 2018.Some egg producers outside Manitoba have complained that the Manitoba policy surrenders to irrational activist demands that will add huge costs to the industry without improving animal welfare.Enriched cages have more room per chicken than conventional cages and have features like perches that are designed to create a better environment for the birds. Because they require more space, barns with enriched cages either have to be bigger to produce as many eggs as conventional barns or accept a lower level of production.The producer group also now has seven free-run barns among its producer base, which allows eggs from those facilities to be sold to consumers who demand eggs from non-conventional barns.Free-run barns allow the hens to run around inside a barn.Froese said his organization has embraced the “five freedoms” for the future production of eggs in Manitoba, a standard that has gained credibility among animal welfare advocates around the world.The standard focuses on the welfare of the hens, rather than the construction of the barns.”The world seems to be moving to the five freedoms as a basis for discussions about animal care.”By setting enriched cages as the minimum for new construction and embracing free-run and other production methods, the egg farmers are hoping to break out of the “cage versus no cage” debate, Froese said.Companies like fast food giant McDonald’s have found that consumers want humane treatment of food animals combined with food safety and quality, and are willing to accept bigger and better cages if those give the hen a better life but also guarantee the eggs will be safe.Froese said that realistic compromise between food safety and humane treatment has allowed producer groups like his to break out of the cage debate.”What we think is that the policy we have adopted has created a roadmap for cages into the future.”
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