Welfare code will push up price of eggs, farmers say

Photo / Wairarapa Times-Age

The price of eggs could treble if a code of welfare to make life more comfortable for hens is adopted, the Food and Grocery Council says.

The National Animal Welfare Advisory Committee is calling for public submissions on the draft, which was released yesterday.

The draft proposes that cages be phased out, meaning up to 155 egg farms would need to upgrade their housing for hens.

The Green Party says the proposed changes do not go far enough and that cages should be abolished altogether.

The proposed enclosures allow 60 hens to live in one area. The draft code states that in the new enclosures, hens would be able to express their natural behaviour by being able to flap their wings and lay eggs in a discrete nesting area.

Egg farmers are asking for a 20-year phase-in so they can keep using the smaller cages, upgrading to the more spacious "colony" enclosures as the old ones need replacing.

The upgrades would cost $150 million for the $280 million-a-year industry, said Egg Producers Federation president Michael Guthrie.

"We're submitting that to be able to do this and still have an egg industry that can produce affordable eggs, rather than the high-end, free-range eggs, it would take 20 years if the industry is going to fund it itself. This is a long term project."

About 44 farmers produce 90 per cent of the country's eggs and if they were forced to upgrade much sooner than 20 years, many would leave the industry as the cost was "just not worth it", he said.

If that happened, there could be a dent in egg supply which, if demand remained the same, would put prices up, he said.

Food and Grocery Council chief executive Katherine Rich said although the organisation supported the proposal, egg prices could rise significantly as a result.

"In today's prices it's the difference between $2.30 and up to $7.00 for a half dozen free range organic eggs. Nearly 90 per cent of New Zealanders buy eggs produced in conventional operations because they're affordable."

Green Party animal welfare spokeswoman Sue Kedgley wants to see cages abolished. "A cage is a cage whatever it's called ... there is no point in pretending that an enriched cage, which gives hens the equivalent of an extra credit card of space, is acceptable."

Ms Kedgley said public pressure forced the Government to act on phasing out sow crates, for pigs and now it could force it to phase out hen cages completely.

However, NAWAC chairman John Hellstrom said the problem with non-cage alternatives was that management had to be sufficient to deal with the disease and aggression problems that could arise.

"NAWAC does not want to see layer hens experiencing worse animal welfare as a result of any transition away from cages."

THE PROPOSAL
* Phase out use of small cages.
* Introduce 'colony' enclosures for up to 60 hens.
* Farmers say the change would cost $150 million.
* Farmers have asked for 20 years to implement the code.

NZ EGG CONSUMPTION
* 88 per cent of eggs are from conventional caged hens
* 10.6 per cent are from free-range hens
* 1.4 per cent are from barn hens