CAC President Tours Egg Farms as Sector Moves to Enhanced Cages
Recently, Consumers' Association of Canada President, Bruce Cran and the Consumers' Representative on the Egg Farmers of Canada, Dr. Wayne Beggs, had the opportunity to visit a number of farms and review egg farming practices covered under the recently released Pullets and Laying Hens Code of Practice. The Code of Practice spells out safe and humane handling for egg producing flocks and outlines the orderly transition of the egg sector to enhanced cages. Cran and Beggs saw a number of egg production systems, including conventional cages, enhanced cages, free run, aviary and free range operations. "It is clear from this tour that these operators display a high-level of concern for their flocks" noted Cran. "We were impressed by the professionalism and commitment of the egg farmers we met".
A Code of Practice is a federal requirement for all farm sectors and this code for laying hens is the product of extensive research on animal welfare and proper handling guidelines. The Code also outlines the orderly transition to enhanced cages and discusses how the egg sector will balance re-tooling operations with their commitment to supplying eggs to the Canadian market. "We would like to see them change to enhanced cages more quickly, but understand that consumers may bear the brunt of speeding up this change" stated Cran. "We think that their approach considers consumers' interest in having a variety of egg products serving markets across Canada".
The Pullets and Laying Hens Code of Practice can be found at: http://www.nfacc.ca/pdfs/codes/pullets_and_laying_hens_code_of_practice.pdf
Photo Below: Bruce Cran (left), Wayne Beggs (centre), James Dick, Golden Valley Foods (right)
