The egg industry body United Egg Producers (UEP) has announced a new certification programme that brings significant animal welfare changes to the industry.
The new guidelines include increasing the space allowance per hen and improving air quality, beak trimming, molting and handling procedures. The guidelines were announced by the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and National Council of Chain Restaurants (NCCR) as part of a comprehensive animal welfare programme.
“Eggs will never be produced in the same way again,” said Al Pope, president of UEP: “This has been a project that has been three years in development and we are very pleased to have worked with FMI and NCCR in bringing these changes to the marketplace.”
In 1999, the UEP commissioned an independent scientific advisory committee to review the treatment of egg producing hens and provide its recommendations for industry standards.
Committee members included representatives from the USDA, scientists, US Humane Association and academics. They found that the industry’s current practices were not inhumane, but there were areas that could be improved.

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By GlobalDataThe new guidelines place top priority on the comfort, health and safety of the chickens, and include:
*Increased cage space per hen, which is being phased in to avoid market disruptions;
*Standards for molting procedures based on the most current, verified scientific studies;
*Standards for trimming of chicks’ beaks, when necessary, to avoid pecking and cannibalism;
*Maintaining constant supply of fresh feed, water and air ventilation throughout the chicken house, and monitoring for ammonia;
*Standards for daily inspection of each bird as well as standards for handling and transportation of birds;
*Availability of a new training video to instruct producer staffs on the proper handling of chickens to avoid injury to the animals.
The UEP has also commissioned three scientific studies to identify the safest, most humane and effective practices for induced molting among hens. The industry plans to recommend changes for molting as appropriate once the research is completed, which is expected to occur this autumn.
Producers adhering to the guidelines will be audited yearly through an independent certification program. While adherence to the certification program is currently voluntary, the UEP said that it received an overwhelmingly positive response as it unveiled the program in January to producers. 135 of the top egg-producing companies in the US have adopted the recommended certification standards. This represents 180 million egg-laying chickens or nearly two-thirds of all the egg-producing chickens nationwide.
The UEP is developing a welfare seal for egg cartons to help retailers and consumers identify eggs that meet certification standards.