McDonald's USA has announced its participation with leading animal welfare scientists, academics, non-government organizations and egg suppliers in a commercial-scale study of housing alternatives for egg laying hens in the U.S., including cage-free housing.
The announcement of the fast-food giant's involvement immediately brought mixed results from animal welfare/rights organizations, with the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) saying it was simple a stall tactic on McDonald's part, and the American Humane Association (AHA), a participant itself in the study, saying such research is very much needed to determine if difference do indeed exist in laying hen production systems in regard to welfare implications for the birds.
In addition to the issue of animal welfare, the study will also look at environmental, food safety and economic issues related to laying hen production systems.
The study, which expects to involve tens of thousands of hens, will look at the sustainability impacts of different laying hen housing environments on animal health and well-being, safe and affordable food, the environment, and worker welfare. The eggs produced during this study are expected to be used in McDonald's U.S. restaurants, provided they meet stringent food safety and quality standards.
The research is being led by Michigan State University (MSU) and the University of California, Davis (UC-Davis). Along with McDonald's, the multi-stakeholder coalition advising the study includes AHA, American Veterinary Medical Assn. (AVMA), the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Research Service (ARS), Cargill Inc. and the Center for Food Integrity (CFI).
The goal of the study is to understand the viability of alternate housing systems in the U.S., including cage-free and "enriched housing," which includes nests and perches, as well as the housing environments used by McDonald's current supply system in the U.S., which adheres to McDonald's strict laying hen standards. Another goal is to provide scientific-based research that will assist McDonald's and other companies in making more informed decisions on sustainable egg purchases, taking into account their independent company values and business needs.
"This is a welcome initiative for egg purchasers like McDonald's who want to consider all of the sustainability impacts when it comes to buying eggs —- not just animal welfare, but environmental, food safety and economic factors," said Dan Gorsky, McDonald's senior vice president, North America Supply Chain Management. "It is our intention for eggs produced as part of this study, including cage-free eggs, to partially supply McDonald's USA by 2011."
"Globally, McDonald's supports cage and cage-free housing as long as they meet our animal welfare guiding principles," said Bob Langert, McDonald's vice president, Corporate Social Responsibility. "And, with the coalition's research, we will have science-based egg sustainability facts to guide our decisions towards promoting continuous improvement in these important areas."
"There's a very compelling need for a study of this scope," said Marie Wheatley, president and CEO, AHA. "While scientists indicate there are benefits for laying hen birds to be able to demonstrate more natural behaviors associated with a cage-free environment, there are open questions on other animal welfare matters such as feather pecking and mortality rates."
Currently, research on the design and infrastructure of the study has begun in conjunction with MSU and UC Davis. The timeline and costs are being determined, as well as standards for each housing type, with input from participating experts.
"A thorough understanding of the full range of sustainability factors regarding hen housing is an important goal of this project," said Dr. Janice Swanson, MSU. "The coalition anticipates a multi-year study to factor in seasonal shifts, bird lifecycles, and other factors."
Dr. Joy Mench, UC-Davis, added, "This study will provide critical information that will allow us to better understand how laying hen behavior is accommodated in different housing systems, as well as how these environments affect other aspects of hen welfare."
HSUS responded to the announcement by issuing a statement that called for McDonald's to "stop lagging behind its domestic competitors and its own policies in Europe and start using cage-free eggs in the United States." HSUS pointed out that McDonald's closest competitor, Burger King, started using cage-free eggs two years ago and other fast food chains, including Quiznos, Denny's, Hardee's and Carl's Jr. also use cage-free eggs in their operations.
In reality, Burger King, Carl's Jr., Hardees and Denny's have agreed to transition a part of their egg purchases -- usually 2-5% -- to cage free and to do so over a period of time.
Paul Shapiro, HSUS senior director factory farming campaign, said "There is already an abundance of science demonstrating that battery cage confinement of laying hens is detrimental to animal welfare, and McDonald's shouldn't use another long-term study as an excuse to delay implementing the same modest reforms so many of its competitors have already adopted."
HSUS and the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) are asking McDonald's shareholders to vote in favor of resolutions asking the company to transition toward cage-free egg usage in the U.S.
Source: Feedstuffs Foodlink