Cage-free egg production – new concept in Asia

Cage-free egg production has been practiced for decades and is not something new in Europe or in other western countries in the world.

However, in Asia this concept is still new but gaining in popularity due to increased awareness about animal welfare and in particular about the living conditions of laying hens in the cage system.

In south east Asia, major companies such as Charoen Pokphand Foods, Betagro of Thailand, San Miguel Corporation and Bounty Fresh of the Philippines have started to implement cagefree production in their operations to fulfil this growing demand as more and more companies like Accor Hotels, Compass Group, Sodexo and Unilever Group are committing to 100 percent cagefree egg supply chains.



First technical workshop on cage-free egg production

Humane Society International (HSI), in cooperation with the Indonesian Veterinary Medical Association (IVMA), recently hosted south east Asia’s first technical workshop on cage-free egg production on 3 September 2018 in Surabaya, Indonesia.

It was attended by more than 80 participants including egg producers, government officials and academics specialising in animal husbandry and veterinary sciences from Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia. It also brought together food industry leaders, technical specialists, egg producers, academics and poultry equipment manufacturers to share their experiences and provide technical advice on successfully implementing cage-free egg production systems in south east Asia.

Speakers from various organisations like Sodexo, LOHMANN TIERZUCHT, Big Dutchman, Humane Farm Animal Care and Potato Head Family contributed. Their presentations covered topics such as the south east Asian market trends for cage-free products, the scientific basis to support cage-free egg production, and also technical aspects on the successful management of cage-free layer flocks.

The standards and criteria required for animal welfare certification and cage-free corporate social responsibility procurement policies were also discussed in depth, and also how the Humane Society International is involved to help producers transition from cage production to cage-free production systems.



LOHMANN – technical know-how

LOHMANN TIERZUCHT, represented by Mr Ron Eek, the Regional Area Manager for Asia, and Ling Ling Chuah shared with the audience how our breeds, in particular LOHMANN BROWN layers and LOHMANN LSL CLASSIC commercial layers, are adapted to the cage-free system and how our breeds perform better in this new system.

Laying performance results in both conventional systems and cage-free systems were compared and tips on how to rear the pullets for good performance were discussed. Our birds were shown to be highly adaptable, docile and robust with excellent performances due to the consistent and excellent selection performed by our geneticists throughout the years.

The event was a success and we were proud to be able to contribute our technical know-how to enable producers to make a successful and profitable transition.

Ling Ling Chuah