The Expansion Of Cage-Free Production In The U.S.
As animal advocates, the topic of “cage-free” eggs can be one that brings up mixed feelings: on the one hand, converting battery cage farms to cage-free may be a positive step towards better animal welfare, but on the other hand, it may encourage people to simply keep consuming eggs. What’s more, the definition of “cage-free” is slippery— the USDA currently has no legal definition of the term, leading to confusion on all sides. Regardless of your advocacy position, it is important to note that, more and more companies are pledging to go cage-free, and the numbers are worth contemplating: In September 2015, the U.S. had 23.6 million hens housed in cage-free farms, a whopping 37% increase over the estimates from just one year before. The egg industry as a whole is estimated to generate about $10 billion annually. How a shift towards cage-free will affect that figure remains to be seen.
This report from WattAgNet, quoting both industry sources and USDA reports, states that the cage-free flock in the U.S. will continue to grow at a rapid rate, and that “the three largest egg producers in the U.S. are designing and building cage-free farms that will become the largest cage-free egg facilities in North America.” Between March and September of 2015 alone, the number of organic layer chickens increased by 19%, while the number of non-organic/”other cage-free” layer chickens increased by 27%. In what could be seen as positive news, the report quotes industry insiders as noting that “customers are moving to cage-free faster than the regulatory environment is requiring it,” which explains why major egg producers are starting to take it upon themselves to move in that direction. They note that in this sense, “the consumer is driving the behavior,” and a “large segment” are willing to pay for it. It is worth mentioning that the report also notes that not all cage-free systems are alike (likely due to the slipperiness of the definition).
For animal advocates, the report is worth reading, even simply to stay on top of inside industry news. Regardless of what angle your advocacy work takes, this staggering and seemingly exponential increase in the “cage-free flock” will affect the landscape for chickens in huge ways that are important to be aware of.