हिंदी

India is the world’s second largest producer of eggs. The chickens who lay these eggs are housed primarily in cramped wire cages known as battery cages. In these cages, hens are so tightly confined that they can’t move around or spread their wings without hitting each other. Physical and psychological suffering are routine. This is increasingly recognized as unacceptable, with the European Union (E.U.) and several U.S. states banning such cages. In India, previous research revealed that around 72% of consumers regard the practice as cruel.

As consumers have shown greater care towards animal welfare in the egg sector, thousands of food corporations around the world have pledged to use only cage-free eggs. While corporations in Europe and the U.S. have shown progress towards this goal, those in Asia have struggled by comparison. Cage-free egg farming remains in its infancy in Asia, including India.

This study aimed to understand the challenges faced by cage-free egg producers in India and identify areas where support is needed. The researchers surveyed 20 egg producers across the country, with 10 operating cage systems and 10 operating cage-free systems. The difficulty in finding commercial cage-free egg producers contributed to the small sample size.

The researchers defined cage farming as the method where hens are housed in small wire cages and are unable to perform natural behaviors such as moving around, stretching their wings, perching, dust-bathing, and foraging. Cage-free farming was defined as the method of housing hens in non-cage environments where they can exhibit such behaviors freely. Respondents were asked questions about the advantages of each method, the challenges in adopting cage-free systems, and the support needed for cage-free production.

Similar to findings from other Asian countries, efficiency and ease of management were the primary reasons producers in India opt for cage systems. Battery-cage farming requires less space and labor by keeping hens tightly confined. In this controlled environment, food, water, medication, and vaccines are easier to provide. Cage systems are also thought to reduce disease transmission and keep eggs cleaner.

These factors may explain the lack of large-scale cage-free facilities in India. Of the 10 cage-free respondents in the study, seven operated farms with a capacity of under 10,000 hens, with none housing more than 20,000. Seven of the 10 cage-farming respondents, on the other hand, had a capacity of more than 10,000 hens, with one surpassing 100,000. Both types of producers mentioned the lack of successful large-scale cage-free facilities as a barrier to adopting cage-free systems — a challenge also expressed in other studies.

Egg-laying hens pay the price for this efficiency. Compared to caged hens, cage-free hens experience much lower levels of different types of pain: annoying pain is reduced by 70%, disruptive pain is reduced by 57%, and disabling pain is reduced by 63%. Improved animal welfare and the growing demand for higher-welfare products were the primary reasons that Indian producers gave in favor of adopting cage-free systems.

A major challenge in adopting cage-free systems, according to both cage-farming and cage-free respondents, is their higher production costs. By giving the hens more space to move, cage-free systems require greater land usage. Cage-free hens also consume more animal feed due to being more physically active. Along with demanding more resources, cage-free systems are more labor intensive due to the greater complexity of managing the hens.

According to the authors, however, the advantages of cage systems are often overstated. While they’re cheaper to operate than cage-free systems, the cages themselves are expensive to set up and need to be replaced every 10 to 15 years. And while cage-free housing is perceived as increasing the risk of disease, cage systems have been found to have a higher prevalence of salmonella. Still, producers commonly lack the knowledge and training required to properly manage cage-free systems.

Both types of producers agreed that greater support is needed to help farmers establish and maintain cage-free systems, which other research has suggested too. Financial support from governments was the most common suggestion, followed by technical support and training.

In line with their findings, the authors suggest several initiatives to help India’s cage-free sector grow, including:

• Financial support for cage-free systems from governments, such as subsidies and low-interest loans;
• Technical support for cage-free farming through training programs, manuals, and guides;
• Research to improve the efficiency of cage-free practices and make them more commercially feasible; and
• Awareness campaigns to educate consumers about the harms of battery cages and advantages of cage-free farming.

This study found that egg producers in India, while open to adopting cage-free systems, lack the knowledge and support to do so. By calling for governments to support cage-free systems and educating the public about the harms of battery cages, advocates can help end an egregious practice while raising awareness of animal exploitation.