Cramped living conditions for hens likely contributed to a batch of pesticide-contaminated eggs being released earlier this month, a livestock expert said on Monday.
The Food and Drug Administration on Monday last week issued an emergency recall of more than 150,000 eggs from a Changhua County farm after they were found to have high residues of the pesticide fipronil sulfone.
Wang Chien-kai (王建鎧), an assistant professor of animal sciences and head of the Livestock Research Institute at National Chung Hsing University, said the contamination was likely related to the traditional battery cages used for about 90 percent of egg-laying hens in Taiwan.
Photo courtesy of the Keelung City Government
Traditional battery-style cages contain two to four hens in a space about the size of an A4 sheet of paper, the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan said.
In such cramped conditions, parasites are able to easily breed and spread, necessitating the use of large quantities of pesticides, Wang said.
In less crowded enclosures, hens frequently take dust baths to control parasites, allowing farmers to use less pesticides, he said.
To produce safer, healthier and more environmentally friendly eggs, consumers need to accept paying higher prices to help the industry make the necessary upgrades, Wang said.
Minister of Health and Welfare Shih Chung-liang (石崇良) over the weekend said that regulators would increase random sampling for pesticides in eggs based on their “risk level,” with eggs stamped with a “C” — meaning cage eggs — receiving top priority.
Taiwan’s eggs are stamped with a two-line traceability code, with the top line denoting a specific farm or egg washing facility, according to the Environmental Information Center Web site.
The second line indicates packaging date — ordered year-month-day — and includes an English letter, such as a “C” for cage eggs or an “E” for enriched cage eggs.
Cage-free eggs are labeled either “O” for organic, “F” for free-range or “B” for barn-raised, each with its own regulatory definition.
Three organizations provide five types of humane certification for eggs in Taiwan, the logos of which are typically featured on the eggs’ packaging, the site said.
Of those, the two certifications offered by the Taiwan Society of Agricultural Standards and the one from the National Animal Industry Foundation are less strict, because they allow certification for eggs raised in so-called enriched cages.
The two certifications offered by the Environment and Animal Society of Taiwan are considered to have higher standards, because they do not certify eggs from enriched cages, the site said.
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