Fast-food giant McDonald’s, which buys two billion eggs a year, equal to 4 percent of U.S. egg production, “will begin phasing out the use of eggs from hens housed in cages,” said the New York Times, “a move that has significant implications for American and Canadian egg producers.”
“With the national introduction last week of plans to sell some breakfast items all day long, the company expects to buy even more eggs,” said the Times. Less than 10 percent of U.S. laying hens are in cage-free housing at present, so it could take up to 10 years to switch fully to eggs from hens in what are called aviary systems. Cage-free eggs sell at a premium now, but prices could moderate as the volume of production rises.
“Egg producers may convert barns still empty after the avian flu epidemic to cage-free operations,” said the Times. “According to the Agriculture Department, 6.4 percent of the nation’s laying hens were cage-free in March, before the avian flu hit, and major producers like Rose Acre Farms are switching at least some of their production to cage-free systems.”