June 14, 2006 - Consumers say, “Oh cluck! There are no cruelty-free eggs.”

 

Humane Society report finds confused consumers and limited availability of eggs from cage-free hens

 

A report released by the Vancouver Humane Society (VHS) reveals that most consumers don’t want to support keeping egg-laying hens in (battery) cages, but the availability of eggs from more humane systems is inadequate.

 

In the report, which examined retail availability of cage-free eggs, Capers Community Markets came out on top selling 100 percent cage-free eggs, while Safeway, one of the most ubiquitous retailers in the city, placed last among local grocers with less than 10 percent. The report also concludes that labelling is confusing and misleading, with terms like ‘vegetarian feed’ and ‘omega-3’ leading consumers to believe the hens are treated with more care than is the case.

 

“98 percent of table eggs in Canada come from hens kept in wire battery cages,” says Bruce Passmore, VHS’s Farm Animal Welfare Project Coordinator. “Hens are tightly crammed together in filthy cages where they can barely move, let alone flap their wings or perform any other natural behaviour. It’s unconscionable when you consider there are viable alternatives.”

 

Certified organic eggs have the highest welfare standards of any commercially available egg and are cage-free. They are the only eggs from systems that are audited for animal welfare by an independent third-party.

 

The Vancouver Humane Society and the Canadian Coalition for Farm animals have asked Loblaw Canada, the largest grocery retailer in Canada, to label all eggs from caged hens so consumers can make an educated choice. This coincided with the release of undercover video footage late last year which revealed appalling conditions on a conventional egg farm.

 

Photos and video footage of a Canadian battery barn and copies of the report are available online.