2120 final report.pdf - Agra CEAS Consulting

THE SOCIO-ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS OF THE VARIOUS SYSTEMS TO KEEP LAYING HENSA1.3. DenmarkA1.3.1. OverviewDenmark will implement the ban on unenriched cages in line with Chapter II, Article 5.2 of Directive1999/74/EC from 2012. The Danish egg industry is very concentrated with only 301 producers (in2002), of which 200 produce around three quarters of all eggs. Almost 80% of laying hens are keptin units with more than 10,000 birds. Commercial egg production in Denmark is around 52 millionkgs (2003) which is approximately equal to 818 million eggs 46 . Denmark is a net importer of eggswhich are used both in shell (predominantly in the catering sector) and also for processing.There are two main packers, Danæg A/S (co-operatively owned) and Hedegaard Foods A/S whobetween them account for in excess of 90% of eggs packed. As at January 2004 there were only 38registered packers. The majority of production (90%) is to contract which are usually for a durationof six months to one year.There are only three processors in Denmark. These are Danæg Products A/S, Sanovo Foods A/Sand Hedegaard Foods A/S. The first and last of these companies are owned by the packers of thesame name given above.A1.3.2. Egg productionCommercial egg production in Denmark was 52,000 kg in 2003 47 (approximately 818 million eggs)from a laying flock of 3.5 million birds. Approximately 16 million kgs are consumed on farm or solddirect. The main production system used is the traditional cage 48 accounting for 56.5% of total eggproduction in 2003 (56.2% of the laying flock). About a fifth of laying hens (21.4%) are kept in deeplitter systems and contribute 20.4% of production. The organic sector is very well developed inDenmark and accounts for 14.1% of production from 14.9% of the laying flock. Free range is lesspopular with 7.6% of the laying flock accounting for 9.0% of total egg production. Aviary systems areinsignificant accounting for 0.1% of production and there is only one established producer usingenriched cages and one in the process of setting up conversion.The use of systems in Denmark is influenced by the fact that cages were not permitted until 1979.Prior to this, variants of the barn system were predominantly used and it is to this system, withwhich consumers are familiar, that producers have turned as the alternative egg sector has increasedin importance. The relatively low use of free range systems and the high use of organic systems isexplained by the strong consumer interest in animal welfare as it relates to the egg sector.46 Number of eggs calculated using average egg weights of each system weighted by the proportion of each system in total production.Average egg weights are 63.3 grams, 64.0 grams, 63.8 grams and 63.7 grams for caged, barn, free range and organic productionrespectively.47 Source: The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration. Egg production is recorded by packing stations and therefore may not includeeggs exported without packing station involvement.48 Although Danish space allowances are 600cm 2 rather than the current EU standard of 550cm 2 .125