Consumption

Laying hens industry reports the best values

Just in time for Easter, the egg industry can come up with a record message: The Germans do not eat as many eggs as never before since the reunification. The origin of the eggs becoming more and more the debate rages, however.

233 eggs destroyed every German citizen with a calculator in the past year – whether directly, as a Breakfast and a Fried egg, or indirectly, such as in the cake. “The mood in the German Egg industry is good,” says Günter Scheper, head of the Federal Association of German Egg. “We currently have a stable, balanced, and for producers of a good market situation.”

These are words that are in the agricultural industry in these days, not the rule. The farmers are complaining about the fall in the price of milk and pigs. According to the industry experts of the information on the egg and poultry (MEG) is overestimated, the sales increase at Easter, by the way. Accordingly, the average household buys in the Easter month for only about two more eggs than usual.

Eggs are more expensive

Since the beginning of the year, prices moved slightly, MEG: Ten eggs from the barn (weight class M) cost, on average, in January and February of 1.26 Euro 17 cents for more than twelve months previously. Also, organic eggs are more expensive: Ten organic eggs cost in the first two months of this year, € 3.00, 16 cents more than in the previous year. Over the whole year of 2015 saw ten eggs from Soil conservation to 1.08 euros in cost, from free-range 1,66 Euro and in the organic seal 2,85 Euro. The trigger for the recent price increase to higher costs of procurement of the trade. Because the provider had last may due to a temporarily tighter supply, higher prices prevail. In the sector, long-term contracts were common, so that violent fluctuations, remained the exception.

Around 24 eggs a chicken in a month sets

Despite the recent significant increase in the price of eggs from Soil conservation costs currently, according to MEG but still less than in 2013. Eggs-the Association of chief Scheper says: “it is Particularly positive for the German egg producers is the fact that German consumers place so much value on the German origin of the eggs.” The industry would, therefore, strongly for an expanded marking of the origin: Not only to shell eggs in the pack, but also on egg-containing foods, such as pasta or biscuits should be evident, from which form and which country is the eggs come.

On two inhabitants of a chicken comes

There is Easter operation in the industry: 40.1 million hens, there were, according to the Federal statistical office, 2015 between the Alps and the coast. Are counted only the industrial enterprises from 3000 laying hens. Smaller farms, or private stocks of it come up. Thus, a chicken is not applicable in Germany on two inhabitants at least.

Almost 11.8 billion eggs produced in the German farms of 3000 laying hens last year – to 11.5 billion in the year 2014. A clear Trend it is to the organic Egg. According to MEG, the Eco-Form of 2015 brought to the maximum value of nearly 12 percent share in the sale. With a good 60 percent of the ground posture still cares for the lion’s share. On the free-range around 18 per cent with a rising tendency.

To lay eggs you need a female chick – the male will be sorted out, gassed and shredded

While the organic farms increased recently, noticeably, is the cages in the so-called small group on the descending Branch. Only every tenth hen lived in 2015 at this position, in 2010 it was 16 percent. According to the Association of the small-group attitude in a cage is allowed in this country until the end of 2025, in cases of hardship, until the end of 2028.

There are animal-friendly produced eggs?

The debate ums egg-laying hens, animal welfare is a political issue. The German animal protection Association, for example, is against the “small group housing”, which he sees as a euphemistic term, and, therefore, “small-group cages” called. Polls showed that almost all of the consumers opposed cage. The consumer advocates of food watch say that the cage with the hen in the classic battery put just a DIN A-4 sheet and in small, only one and a half DIN-A-4 aviary sheets. Food watch – criticises the fact that no farming – even organic guarantee animal-friendly conditions. High morbidity and mortality rates, behaviour disorders such as feather pecking or cannibalism and even
the millions of Killing unwanted male Chicks “are in all types of farming on the agenda”. Thus, consumers would have no way to find it is guaranteed to humanely-produced Egg.

The highly-controversial beak-trim the hens Nhat the policy in some cases, the fight is announced. The red-green government in lower Saxony, about granted to farmers 1.70 Euro grant per hen, in case of requirements for a particularly animal-friendly housing are met.