United Eggs
Producer(UEP) members produce eggs in
conventional cages enabling retailers and consumers to purchases
eggs from cage-free systems at the lowest available
cost.
This was the view of
Gene Gregory president of the UEP, speaking at the recent
International
Egg Commission Conference in London.
Changes on the cage ban in Europe were based upon emotions and
personal opinions driven by animal activists rather than science,
he said.
According to Mr Gregory animal activists feel it is their moral
duty to change society from one that has always enjoyed a variety
of food choices and consumer rights.
"Activists are pressing their agendas through market
intimidation and legislation," he added.
The short-term plan by activists is for all eggs to be produced
in non-cage systems and the long-term plan is to eliminate
agriculture and create a vegetarian society, said Mr Gregory.
"California is an interesting case," he explained,
"The Humane Society of the United
States put forward new legislation, a ballot initiative. It
said that the purpose was to prohibit the confinement of farm
animals in a manor that does not allow them to move around freely
and fully extend their limbs."
"Uninformed voters, voted for this legislation that is due to
become effective on 1 January 2015," he said.
"There are nearly 20m laying hens in
California and it will have a
direct impact on the market and an impact on what the United States
does and what our egg industry looks like in the years to come," he
said.
The legislation in California will force producers out of
business and force retailers to purchase eggs from outside America
where there are lower standards of animal welfare, he added.
"We would need 15m more hens to produce the same number of eggs
across the United States, as we currently do with cage systems.
"Can we feed a nation of 300m people with non-cage eggs? We know
that we cannot.
"Consumers will still be eating eggs in cages after the
legislation comes into force but they will have been produced
elsewhere," said Mr Gregory.