BC SPCA: Manitoba Egg Farmers embrace Five Freedoms

Manitoba Egg Farmers embrace Five Freedoms

April 13, 2010

In March, 2010, Manitoba Egg Farmers announced a progressive policy away from conventional battery cages. From 2018, egg farmers who build new facilities, or undertake a major retrofit will be required to have either enriched cages or an alternative housing system that supports the Five Freedoms.

"There is no doubt that this policy will improve the lives of millions of hens and help Manitoba's egg producers preserve their market in the face of increasing consumer concerns about animal welfare," says Geoff Urton, BC SPCA animal welfare coordinator.

In Canada, approximately 95 per cent of egg laying hens are raised in battery cages – small, barren cages stacked on top of each other in barns. Enriched cages are a relatively new concept for hen housing, and, in the Manitoba policy, are defined as having perches, scratch pads and nesting areas.

The Five Freedoms are an internationally recognized set of guidelines originally developed in the 1960s by an expert committee in the United Kingdom.

They include:

Freedom from hunger and thirst;
Freedom from pain, injury, and disease;
Freedom from distress;
Freedom from discomfort;
Freedom to express normal behaviours.

"The Five Freedoms are an excellent foundation for policy and standards development," explains Urton. "But the key is to consider all Five Freedoms together - conventional battery cages may provide freedom from hunger and thirst but they fail to provide freedom to express behaviours that promote well being, such as nesting and dust-bathing. For this, you really need to get the birds out of conventional battery cages and provide them with key enrichments, such as perches, nest boxes, and litter - all on well managed farms."

The policy is commendable not only for its commitment to improved housing standards for egg laying hens but also for the acknowledgement, given throughout the policy, of the advancements in animal welfare science. Indeed, there has long been consensus among behaviour and welfare experts that battery cages are inadequate for hens. Much of this research is owed to Prof. Ian Duncan, international poultry expert and special advisor to the BC SPCA.

The Five Freedoms exist as guiding principles for many animal protection organizations, including the BC SPCA. The guidelines are listed in the BC SPCA's Mission and Charter, and they, along with a science-based approach, inform the Society's advocacy work and position statements.

Read the BC SPCA's facts on egg production and learn more about the battery cage debate (link opens a pdf document).

You can help the BC SPCA continue to advocate for higher standards of animal welfare. Please donate to the BC SPCA's Monty Fund for Community Education & Outreach today.

The BC SPCA is a non-profit organization funded primarily by public donations. Our mission is to prevent cruelty and to promote the welfare of animals through a wide range of services, including cruelty investigations, emergency rescue and treatment, sheltering and adoption of homeless and abused animals, humane education, advocacy, farm animal welfare, spay/neuter programs, and wildlife rescue and rehabilitation.