By Chetana Mirle

HSI

HSI Poster

Working with the food industry in India on animal welfare issues is a unique experience. It is not uncommon to find executives in the Indian egg and meat industries who are themselves vegetarian. At events, representatives from the pharmaceutical companies that service the egg and meat industries often approach me with their own concerns about animal welfare. Humane Society International (HSI) has been a welcome participant in animal industry expos within India, and has been invited to submit articles on humane poultry production to major industry publications. The potential for making real improvements in the lives of animals raised for food in this country is huge.

In India, HSI Campaigns is focusing on the plight of hens in battery cages, asking egg producers to shift away from the use of these inhumane systems and towards cage-free housing that allows birds the freedom to stretch their wings, walk, and lay their eggs in nests.

Approximately 80 percent of egg production in India occurs in battery cages, impacting around 100 million egg-laying hens. Seventy-five percent of eggs are consumed by 25 percent of the country’s population, specifically those living in urban areas. Many of these urban consumers can afford to pay a higher price for food produced in a more natural, healthful, and ethical manner.

Since the start of this campaign, I have had the opportunity to speak with over 100 Indian egg producers (each rearing anywhere between 5,000 and 100,000 hens). Very few have argued with me about the animal welfare benefits of cage-free systems, agreeing that the birds are better off without cages. Their only concerns were economic: the cost of producing cage-free eggs is higher than the cost of battery-cage eggs. This is due, in part, to the lower density of birds, the additional husbandry requirements, and the potential for increased feed consumption. Some producers are worried that a lot of capital has been sunk into their battery cage facilities. If a producer switched to cage-free, how would he be able to compete with those who were still using battery cages? One man suggested that the government impose a ban on battery cages—that way there would be a level playing field for all producers.

All the battery-cage egg producers I spoke with said they would switch to cage-free systems once the consumers started to demand them.

So, it is up to the Indian consumer to lead the change in the Indian egg industry. Please sign HSI's No Battery Eggs Pledge. Practice the three Rs: If you consume eggs, Reduce consumption, Replace the eggs with plant-based foods, and Refine your consumption by refusing to buy or eat battery-cage eggs. View pictures from my recent tour of battery-cage and cage-free egg production facilities in India, and see for yourself the difference between the life of a battery-cage hen and that of a cage-free hen.