Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Tien Chiu-chin (田秋堇) and the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan yesterday said that supposedly organic stores were selling average to poor quality eggs produced by hens kept in battery cages — tiny cages with a floorspace about the size of a sheet of A4 paper — and urged the authorities to order clearer labeling of how eggs are produced.
Environmental and Animal Society of Taiwan director Chen Yu-min (陳玉敏) said at a news conference in Taipei that eggs sold at organic food stores cost from NT$7 to NT17 each, a much higher price than “washed eggs,” which are priced between NT$4.7 and NT$5 each at supermarkets and grocery stores.
However, a survey conducted on eggs provided by 35 farms, sold at the nation’s five major distributors of organic foods — Santa Cruz, Natural, Yogi House, Cotton Land Health Stores and Orange Market — found only eight products conformed to the Definition and Guideline of Friendly Eggs Production System (雞蛋友善生產系統定義與指南).
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
Promulgated by the Council of Agriculture in January, the act defines free ranges, and enriched cages as methods beneficial to egg production.
The remaining products were all sourced from battery farms, the survey showed.
The results showed that up to 15 products advertised as organic eggs or produced by hens kept in open farms were actually eggs collected by distributors from a variety of ranges packaged together without clear labeling as to where they were sourced.
Giving as an example the EU’s labeling system for production systems, in which 0 is for organic, 1 is for free range, 2 is for barns, 3 is for enriched cages, Tien said that egg farmers and distributors should follow suit, while also providing clear information on the farms from which eggs are produced.
Referencing results of inspections carried out by the Food and Drug Administration and local health agencies, Chen said that antibiotic residue such as the drug florfenicol was found on eggs, which when consumed by humans in large amounts can lead to liver and kidney damage.
“The authorities have been urging the abolition of the use of antibiotics at egg farms. However, if the hens’ living conditions are not improved, farmers will always rely on antibiotics,” she said.
The Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan chief executive Chu Tseng-hung (朱增宏) said that the EU has banned the sale of eggs produced by hens from battery cages since 2012 and countries including Australia, New Zealand, the US and Canada are either framing laws or considering following the practice.
He called on organic food stores in Taiwan to also set what he called “friendly egg procurement policies” to respond to the global trend and the Council of Agriculture’s policies.
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