| Britons are buying record numbers of | | | | of the reach of the birds to await |
| Free Range, Barn and Organic Eggs. | | | | collection. Droppings pass through the |
| Research shows shoppers bought | | | | mesh floors onto boards, belts, the |
| 2.04billion of them last year, up from | | | | floors of the house or into a pit to |
| 1.64billion in 2002 (Article from the | | | | await removal. |
| Daily Mail - 09/08/2006). | | | | 2) Barn system. Around 7% of eggs sold |
| The Benefits of Eating Eggs | | | | in the UK are produced in the barn |
| Eggs are low in calories and could | | | | system. In the barn system the hen house |
| actually protect against heart disease, | | | | has a series of perches and feeders at |
| breast cancer and eye problems and even | | | | different levels. In the deep litter |
| help you to lose weight. Eggs are | | | | system the birds are kept in hen houses |
| actually good for you. They are rich in | | | | in which all the floor area should be |
| nutrients, one egg provides 13 essential | | | | solid with a litter of straw, wood |
| nutrients, all in the yolk (egg whites | | | | shavings, sand or turf. |
| contain albumen, an important source of | | | | 3) Free range system. The free range |
| protein, and no fat). You should keep | | | | system accounts for around 27% of eggs |
| eggs in the fridge in their box and eat | | | | produced in the UK. And the Welfare of |
| them by the use-by date. | | | | Laying Hens Directive stipulate that for |
| We now know the benefits of eating eggs | | | | eggs to be termed free range, hens must |
| but does the welfare of the chickens | | | | have continuous daytime access to runs |
| matter? Davinos Greeno investigates the | | | | which are mainly covered with vegetation |
| eggy world of production systems. | | | | and with a maximum stocking density of |
| Eggs are produced in 3 types of | | | | 2,500 birds per hectare. The demand for |
| production systems. | | | | free-range eggs is also growing by 10 |
| 1) Laying Cage System. Laying cages are | | | | per cent a year. Somerfield will be the |
| the most common method of commercial egg | | | | first supermarket in the country to |
| production in the UK - representing | | | | switch to selling French free-range |
| around 66% of eggs produced in 2004. | | | | eggs. Tesco is also understood to be |
| Typically a laying cage system consists | | | | lining up suppliers on the Continent if |
| of a series of at least three tiers of | | | | it is not able to guarantee supplies at |
| cages. The cages have sloping mesh | | | | home due to this rising demand. |
| floors so that the eggs roll forward out | | | | |