Central SA
Retailer responds to egg supply chain allegations─── BAMBATHA GIKO 12:14 Thu, 24 Nov 2022
Pick n Pay said it's eager to maintain dialogue on the issue of removing cages from egg supply chains and is open to meeting any organisation to discuss the matter further.
Open Wing Alliance alleged the retailer refused to join the global movement to commit to transitioning towards cage-free systems for egg-laying hens, despite months of public engagement. It said the caged system poses serious health risks not only to the chickens but to consumers as well.
Zwelisha Shobede from the Southern African Faith Communities’ Environment Institute (SAFCEI) said the conditions are inhumane as the chicken are often in an enclosure no bigger than an A4 page. These conditions can lead to the development of diseases which might affect the eggs and have a knock-on effect on consumers.
SAFCEI says there is a link between eggs produced in cage system facilities and public health risks, like the spread of zoonotic diseases such as Avian flu and antibiotic resistance. Caged systems promote fear, poor bone health, high levels of reproductive disease and extreme stress in egg-laying hens.
Shobede says they hope the retailer would commit to a cage-free system as that is the direction the world is taking.
Meanwhile, Pick n Pay says it’s committed to high animal welfare standards and has led discussions in the industry through the Sustainable Retailer Forum to secure improvements in a number of areas.
“We provide very wide access in our stores to cage-free eggs at affordable prices. We believe that this approach - combined with effective communication to customers explaining the benefits of cage-free eggs - is the best and most sustainable way of increasing sales of cage-free products.”
The retailer explains that it has had numerous engagements with the Open Wing Alliance and other NGOs. It is pleased to say that this approach is succeeding in ensuring the proportion of its egg sales come from cage-free productions consistently year-on-year.
“We are concerned that ending sales of eggs using other production methods would simply drive consumers to other retailers - including many who sell eggs which are entirely unregulated. This would risk lowering rather than raising overall animal welfare,” Pick n Pay replied.
