NI Egg Sector Must Convert to Cage-Free by 2012
NORTHERN IRELAND, UK - Minister Michelle Gildernew MP, MLA has met with a range of representatives from the local egg producing industry. The poultry sector needs to press ahead and convert egg production equipment by the EU's 2012 deadline for the end...

CobbSasso 150 Breaks New Ground in Hungary
HUNGARY - Hungary has become the latest country to take up the CobbSasso 150, the product aimed at the 'certified' and 'intermediate' sectors of the chicken market.

Two Billion Free-Range Eggs to be Sold in 2009
UK - Free-range egg sales are fuelling a renaissance in the UK egg market, according to new figures just released.

Free-Range Flocks Also Suffer Cannibalism
UK - The Monthly Scanning Surveillance Report for July 2009 from the Veterinary Laboratories Agency (VLA) highlights severe cannibalism in two free-range layer flocks and infectious laryngotracheitis as the cause of sudden death in broiler b...

Doubts over Free-Range Egg Verification
AUSTRALIA - A recent newspaper article has cast doubt on the system for the verification of free-range egg production.

Woolworths Cuts Cage-Egg Lines
AUSTRALIA - Supermarket giant, Woolworths, is cutting down on the number of brands of cage eggs.

Producers to Discuss Commodity Market Volatility
UK - Poultry producers are invited to join the next meeting of the Severn Valley Poultry Discussion Group to gain an insight on commodity market volatility. The meeting takes place on 29 July in Herefordshire.

New Test Can Tell Cage Eggs from Free-Range
NEW ZEALAND - A researcher at the Geological and Nuclear Sciences (GNS) National Isotope Centre has developed a test based on isotope analysis to distinguish between battery (cage) barn, free-range and organic eggs based on the hen's diet.

Free-Range Egg Drop May be Linked to Brachyspira
UK - Brachyspira is on the increase in poultry flocks, with up to 90 per cent of free-range layers infected.

NCC Criticises Film on US Food Production
US - The National Chicken Council (NCC) has issued a response to the movie, 'Food, Inc.'. NCC says it is a one-sided, negative and misleading film about the way food is produced and sold in the United States.

End in Sight for Irish Organic Chicken?
IRELAND - Organic poultry farmers are being squeezed out of business by price pressure from supermarket chains, they say.

Egg Farmers Welcome Independent Welfare Study
NEW ZEALAND - Egg farmers have welcomed the findings of an independent hen welfare study comparing battery cages with barns and free-range systems.

UK Supermarkets Halfway to Ending Cage Egg Sales
UK - With several of the leading supermarket chains already offering only non-cage eggs, the UK egg market is now evenly split between battery cages and the alternatives - well ahead of the 2012 EU ban.

Free-Range Fast Food
UK - Free-range egg company, Happy Egg, is to start supplying fast-food chain, Little Chef.

Free-Range Egg Federation Supports High Standards
NEW ZEALAND - The free-range egg industry unites to protect consumers' interests. Standards should not be relaxed to meet rising demand, says the Egg Producers Federation.

Discouraging Wild Birds from Free-Range Farms
AUSTRALIA - A survey of free-range broiler farms highlights ways to discourage wild birds.

Modern Cages Bring Welfare Benefits to Hens
US - A new study shows that hens housed in modern cage production systems have lower mortality, cannibalism and disease than those housed in non-cage systems or free-range, according to the United Egg Producers.

BPC Comments on Chicken Welfare TV Programme
UK - The British Poultry Council (BPC) has responded to the TV programme, due to be shown tonight, under the title Chickens, Hugh and Tesco Too.

Sainsbury's Stops Selling Cage Eggs
UK - Supermarket chain Sainsbury's has announced that, from the 5 February, it will no longer sell eggs from battery hens.

Study: Hen Mortality Affected by Housing System
SWEDEN - Free-range and barn-housed (litter-based) layers were more likely to have bacterial infections and parasites, and to suffer from cannibalism than birds kept in battery cages. These are the main conclusions of a recently published paper by Fossum...

Healthier Hens from Battery Cages
UK - Battery hens are healthier than free-range chickens suggest the resutls from a study at the National Veterinary Institute in Sweden.

Australia Forecasts an Organic Future
AUSTRALIA - From organic and free-range eggs to chemical-free meat, IBISWorld market researchers predict that Australians will turn towards organic and biodynamic products with renewed energy in the years ahead.

Organic Farmers Call for Rule Bending
UK - Some organic farmers are asking for a relaxation of the rules on production to ease the current situation of falling demand and rising production costs, but their request is not shared by all organic producers.

36,000 Laying Hens in Free-Range Management
THE NETHERLANDS - Gerben van Kampen from the Dutch town of Scherpenzeel invests in the future: the innovative poultry producer took over the layer farm from his parents and recently inaugurated a modern aviary house for 36,000 laying hens in free-range...

UK Officially Free from Avian Influenza (AI)
UK - The UK is officially free from Avian Influenza (AI) from yesterday (20 November), according to the rules laid down by the World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE).