Egg farmers weigh in on cage-free movement

Mar 18, 2016

A&W and Chick-fil-A newest to announce transition to cage-free eggs

By Diego Flammini
Assistant Editor, North American Content
Farms.com

To meet up with consumer demands and concerns, various fast food chains and grocery stores are announcing movements to source only cage-free eggs for their customers.

The decision to source cage-free eggs will also directly impact the egg farmers themselves as it isn’t a change that can happen overnight.

Eggs

“Without question, transitioning between farm production methods take time,” said Chad Gregory, President and CEO, United Egg Producers (UEP). UEP is based in the United States and represents nearly 95 per cent of all American egg production.

“The egg farming community will do what is needed to meet the expectations of their customers, while maintaining the highest standards for egg safety, food affordability, environmental responsibility and excellent care of our hens.”

Roger Pelissero, an egg farmer from Gray Ridge Egg Farms in Ontario’s Niagara Region who also sits on the board of directors for Egg Farmers of Canada (EFC), said farmers in the province are well-equipped to adapt to the changes while keeping in mind who the largest buyer of eggs are.

In February, EFC announced an industry-wide initiative to try to end egg production in conventional housing.

“We have more than enough production in place to meet the demands of these companies,” he said. “At the same time we recognize our largest customers of eggs in Canada are the consumers in their homes.”

With all the conversation surrounding cage-free eggs, Pelissero pointed out an important detail for consumers to realize.

“There is no nutritional difference whatsoever in eggs produced in conventional, enriched or cage-free housing,” he said. “There’s the same amounts of protein and nutrients.”

Companies that have announced a transition to cage-free eggs include Tim Horton’s, Burger King, McDonald’s and Starbucks.

Video: Evolution of Beef Cattle Farming

The Clear Conversations podcast took to the road for a special episode recorded in Nashville during CattleCon, bringing listeners straight into the heart of the cattle industry. Host Tracy Sellers welcomed rancher Steve Wooten of Beatty Canyon Ranch in Colorado for a wide-ranging discussion that blended family history and sustainability, particularly as it relates to the future of beef production.

Sustainability emerged as a central theme of the conversation, a word that Wooten acknowledges can mean very different things depending on who you ask. For him, sustainability starts with the soil. Healthy soil produces healthy grass, which supports efficient cattle capable of producing year after year with minimal external inputs. It’s an approach that equally considers vegetation, animal efficiency, and long-term profitability.

That philosophy aligned naturally with Wooten’s involvement in the U.S. Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, where he served as a representative for the Colorado Cattlemen’s Association. The roundtable brings together the entire beef supply chain—from producers to retailers—along with universities, NGOs, and allied industries. Its goal is not regulation, Wooten emphasized, but collaboration, shared learning, and continuous improvement.