Cage-free farms
HOW WE CAN HELP
Sinergia Animal can help farmers successfully adopt cage-free systems and find clients to sell their production to.
Demand for cage-free eggs already exist and it will grow significantly over the next years in Thailand.
Many international companies have already committed to transition gradually to only sourcing cage-free eggs in their global supply chains and these policies apply to Thailand. See who they are and check their policies below.
WHAT CAGE-FREE SYSTEMS ARE
CAGE-FREE FARMS
In cage-free systems, chickens live in sheds without outdoor access. This means they do not have the opportunity to go out into an area with grass or dirt.
However, these systems can significantly improve animal welfare. Inside the sheds, the hens have enough space to walk, move around and access enriched areas that have nest boxes to lay eggs, areas with straw or sand to forage and perches to climb and roost.
If cage-free systems that have an animal welfare certification, they will only use vegetarian feed and will not allow the continuous use of antibiotics.
FREE-RANGE AND ORGANIC FARMS
Free-range and organic systems offer even more space and opportunities for hens to engage in their natural behaviors.
Hens have access to pastures to enjoy the sunlight and spend their time digging the ground, looking for insects and food.
They are fed only with vegetarian food and cannot receive antibiotics continuously. The organic system requires that animal feed is produced without the use of pesticides or other chemical products.
HOW TO INVEST IN CAGE-FREE HOUSING?
Sinergia Animal recommends producers to adopt housing systems that can be certified with the label 'Certified Humane', which is already available in Southeast Asian countries.
There are many things that should be respected in cage-free systems to ensure adequate welfare, such as:
-
Maximum density
-
Enough quantity of nests and perches
-
Enough room for areas with litter or bedding
-
Use of beak trimming instead of de-beaking
-
Good conditions for pullet housing
-
Enough number of drinkers
-
Light periods
-
Ventilation
-
Animal by- products are prohibited in feed
-
The use of growth promote is prohibited
-
Antibiotics and coccidiostats may only be administered for therapeutic reasons.
By respecting these standards from the very beginning, your farm will be ready to get an animal welfare certification and be seen as a reliable supplier for large businesses that are adopting cage-free egg policies.
Click on the image below to see the standards in more detail:
ADDITIONAL BENEFITS:
IMPROVED FOOD SAFETY
Eggs are often contaminated by salmonella, a bacteria that sickens thousands of people around the world every year and can even kill, especially children.
The largest study ever conducted comparing salmonella contamination in cage versus cage-free systems was done by the European Food Safety Authority.
This analysis found 43% lower likelihood of Salmonella Enteritidis contamination in cage-free barns, where hens are raised in closed barns than in cage production. In organic egg production the likelihood of Salmonella contamination was 95% lower. In free-range production the odds were 98% lower.
For Salmonella Typhimurium, there was 77% lower likelihood of salmonella contamination in cage-free barns compared to cages and 93% lower odds in organic and free-range systems.
For the other Salmonella serotypes, compared to operations with hens in cages, there was 96% lower odds in barn systems, 98% lower odds in organic flocks, and 99% lower odds in free-ranging birds.
LOWER ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
In farms that use more natural systems - such as cage-free, free-range and organic, animals are often fed only vegetarian feed. On the other hand, industrial factory farms use animal feed - such as fish meal - to feed the animals.
Research has indicated that we can reduce the environmental impact of egg farms, for example, by only using vegetarian feeds. Researchers from the University of British Columbia have concluded in a study that if hens used to produce eggs only received organic and vegetarian feeds, CO2 emissions from egg farms can be reduce by more than 50%.
The use of fish meal to feed farm animals deserves a lot of attention. According to the United Nations, around 15 million tons of wild fish are currently caught each year to produce fish meal and a significant percentage of this production is used in chicken farms.
Also according to the United Nations, over 70 percent of the world’s fisheries are either ‘fully exploited’, ‘over exploited’ or significantly depleted’.
Some species have already been fished to commercial extinction, and more are on the verge of extinction.
The state of our oceans and the threat posed by climate change are issues we cannot ignore. It is time to care and support more sustainable farms that only use vegetarian feeds.
GET HELP FROM US
AT ZERO COST
Sinergia Animal is a not-for-profit animal protection NGOs. We do not charge for our help.
If you are a cage-free farmer and needs help with advice on marketing your products or solving issues with your production, please get in touch with us. We will do all we can to help.
If you are a cage farmers who wants to migrate to cage-free systems, we are happy to help too.
Write to our team at info@sinergiaanimal.org
