When it comes to farmed animal welfare, improving the lives of farmed chickens is a promising place to start. Globally, around 70 billion chickens are slaughtered every year for food, compared to around 2 billion pigs, sheep, and cows combined. Directing efforts towards egg-laying hens could make a big impact on animal welfare overall, as these animals spend longer times in industrial conditions. Cage-free egg production systems can reduce physical and psychological suffering by housing hens in barns or aviaries rather than cramped cages that restrict their natural movement.

Several regions worldwide, including the European Union and the U.S., have transitioned or are moving towards increased cage-free egg production in pursuit of a more sustainable and ethical food system. Consumers in China and Southeast Asia also care about the welfare of egg-laying hens, understanding that healthier hens tend to produce higher quality, safer food. While producers in Asia’s developing egg industries believe that cage-free production is possible, they’ve expressed a need for more information and support. To help meet this need and inform policymakers, a research scientist surveyed existing research to explore how a transition to cage-free egg systems in Southeast Asia and India could work, with a focus on the economics of production.

The author wanted to find and review the “best available evidence” to inform governments, corporations, and other stakeholders about the economics of cage-free egg production in selected countries. They focused on Indonesia, the Philippines, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam, which collectively account for 96% of egg production in Southeast Asia and share similar egg industry characteristics. The author also included India in their review because of its role as a large egg producer that exports eggs to Southeast Asia and competes with Southeast Asian producers.

Using a bibliographic database and scholarly search engines, the author scanned the titles and summaries of 1,310 studies and read 202 full articles to identify research for review. They surveyed articles from all time periods and looked for original research that focused on commercial production and had a large sample size. The author narrowed their selection down to 22 key studies, which provided insights from over 1,100 egg farms and 45 million hens. Thirteen of these studies reported on costs and revenues of egg farms in Southeast Asia and India, while nine included data on cage-free production in East Asia, Europe, and North America.

Research from East Asia, Europe, and North America revealed that generally, higher revenue from cage-free egg production compensates for the higher costs of barns and aviaries.

However, a much more important factor in the sustainability of egg production is feed prices, which have the potential to limit production. Feed is farmers’ largest expense, ranging from 60 to 95% of the total cost of production in Vietnam and the Philippines, respectively. Maize and soybeans, key ingredients in feed, have fluctuated dramatically by country and over time. For example, over the past 10 years, the price of maize has changed by 58% in Vietnam, but only by 18% in the Philippines. Similarly, the price of soybeans has changed only 12% in Vietnam, but 42% in the Philippines.

The author highlighted a few other considerations regarding the transition to cage-free egg systems. Prior research has come to mixed conclusions about whether more hens die in caged or cage-free systems. The author predicts that in Southeast Asia and India, as farmers become more experienced over time, fewer hens will die in cage-free systems, and there should be no significant difference between caged and cage-free systems for hen mortality.

Additionally, evidence from China showed that farmers generated a higher profit raising free-range hens than caged hens. The author also acknowledged that the viability of cage-free systems in Southeast Asia and India may depend on financial support for upfront costs of transitioning, as these initial investments could be expensive.

The findings from this review relied on existing research, and there’s still a lot more to understand about cage-free egg production in Southeast Asia and India. For example, all 13 studies from Southeast Asia and India covered caged egg production only. In addition, the review’s focus on economics means that it might have overlooked other aspects of egg production that could help inform the potential of widespread cage-free systems in Southeast Asia and India.

This research review paints a hopeful picture for the future of cage-free egg production in Southeast Asia and India. With many consumers already understanding the benefits of cage-free eggs, it’s important to continue spreading awareness of their positive impact on animal welfare, health, and sustainability to increase consumer demand and make production more appealing. In addition, advocates can inform farmers and governments about the economic benefits of cage-free egg systems and encourage policymakers to support upfront and long-term costs of the transition. The author suggests that providing technical assistance to farmers and controlling the cost of feed, specifically maize and soybeans, will be most effective to support farmers and a cage-free system in Southeast Asia and India.