They 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 Southeast Asia.

Sodexo Director of CSR, Roshith Rajan

Speakers included poultry housing and design expert Jasper Heerkens and representatives from HSI, international food service provider Sodexo, poultry breeding company Lohmann Tierzucht, poultry equipment supplier Big Dutchman, certification body Humane Farm Animal Care, Indonesia-based hospitality company Potato Head Family, as well as egg producers with experience in producing cage-free and free-range eggs.

The event attracted more than 80 attendees - including egg producers from various parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore, as well as government officials and academics specialising in animal husbandry and veterinary sciences. The attendees learned about the market opportunities in cage-free production and received technical advice on how to successfully transition to an egg production system that gives hens a better quality of life.

Topics on the agenda included global and Southeast Asian market trends for cage-free products, the scientific basis for cage-free egg production, the standards and criteria required for animal welfare certification, cage-free corporate social responsibility procurement policies, and advice on the successful management of cage-free layer flocks.

Dawn Neo, HSI’s corporate outreach manager for farm animals in Asia, said: “We are so happy with the positive responses we received to this workshop, and we look forward to continuing to foster open dialogue and collaboration among various stakeholders in this region. We want to ensure that egg producers and companies in Southeast Asia have the tools and resources necessary to successfully ensure a cage-free future for laying hens.”

HSI Director of Farm Animals, Elissa Lane

In recent years, animal welfare has become a priority corporate social responsibility issue for companies around the world, including in Asia, resulting in a major shift in the global food industry towards more ethical sourcing of animal products. Multinational companies with operations in Asia such as Accor Hotels, Compass Group, Sodexo and Unilever are joined by Asian industry leaders such as Carrefour Taiwan, Grand Hyatt Singapore, Andaz Singapore, SaladStop!, The Prive Group and The Lo & Behold Group in committing to 100 percent cage-free egg supply chains.

As food and hospitality leaders around the world adopt cage-free egg policies, egg producers are transitioning to higher welfare animal production systems to meet this growing demand. In Southeast Asia, this includes major companies such as Charoen Pokphand Foods, Betagro of Thailand, San Miguel Corporation and Bounty Fresh of the Philippines.

As reported by Humane Society International