October 7, 2013
Canadabans installation of conventional layer cages in Manitoba
According to Manitoba Co-operator, the Manitoba Egg Farmers (MEF) which represents nearly 170 egg and pullet producers,will ban the installation of any new conventional cagesafterDecember 31, 2014 on grounds of animal welfare.
In order to provide birds with more space, perches, scratching surfaces and private nesting boxes, producers will be required to use a furnished or enriched housing system instead of conventional cages. Free-run aviaries are also an option for producers moving away from the conventional cage system.
Currently, roughly a dozen Manitoba producers, representing 120,000 laying hens, have already adopted the new system.
Ed Kleinsasser, Manitoba Egg Farmers chairman, said discussions on hen housing began several years ago, adding his organisation has kept a close eye on developments in Europe, where animal welfare concerns forced egg producers to abruptly switch to enriched housing.
"I think this is the best way to go - it''s farmer initiated and we''re doing what the research tells us works," said Kleinsasser. Although he doesn''t go so far as to say producers are enthusiastic about the changes, Kleinsasser said they "seem to support it and they are willing to go along with it" and he hasn''t heard any complaints.
A significant amount of research went into developing the enriched cages to ensure they suited the behavioural needs of chickens, said Bill Guenter, a poultry specialist at the University of Manitoba.
Enriched housing, which was first designed in Europe, was studied extensively in Manitoba before the egg farmers decided to adopt the housing system, which costs 20% to 25% more.
"With this system, the feathering is better, the bone health is better... the birds are healthier," Guenter said.
Having perches also makes the birds more comfortable. By providing hens with more space- 700 square centimetres per bird versus 420 in the old system - aggression is also lessened. If a bird is being pecked or bullied, it can move away from the aggressor.
Importantly, food safetyisachieved with the enriched housing system.
"We are producing a food here and it''s very important that the manure is separated from the eggs and so on, so food safety combined with the welfare initiative of open housing is really... a nice combination and a responsible balance," said Brenda Bazylewski, communications director for the Egg Farmers. "We envision this particular system will be around for quite some time."
A four-cent levy rebate on marketable dozens of eggs has also been introduced to help producers cover transition costs. So far there is no deadline for removing conventional cages.
Bill McDonald, CEO of the Winnipeg Humane Society, welcomed the change. "Chickens like to lay their eggs in an enclosed space away from other chickens, they like to roost, to get up and sit on something... if you see them outside they will be going around, scratching, looking for things, and there are scratch pads in the furnished housing," McDonald said. "So while the furnished housings are not, by comparison to a free-range or open-range situation ideal, they are certainly a big step up from the battery cages."