Taiwan behind Bhutan, S. Korea in transition to cage-free eggs

台灣落後於不丹與韓國，向放牧雞蛋轉型

Report promotes cross-party Taiwan legislators calling for improvements


TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan lags behind South Korea and Bhutan in the transition away from cage-free egg farming, according to a new report.

The first Asia Cage-Free Benchmark report was published on Thursday (Feb. 22) by the Environment & Animal Society (EAST) in collaboration with the Open Wing Alliance and a tri-partisan group of Taiwanese legislators. Assessing countries’ progress in chicken welfare and ending cage farming, Taiwan was ranked sixth in the region, while New Zealand, Israel, and Australia secured the top three spots respectively.

EAST chief executive Shih Wu-hung (釋悟泓) said in a press release that Taiwan’s transition to cage-free egg farming started strong in 2012, but progress has stalled. The report also found that despite ranking higher than some other countries on average, its application of animal welfare standards was lacking.

“In the past five years progress has stagnated as the government has failed to enact the decisive policies needed to lead the transition away from cages,” the report found. “Taiwan has since been surpassed by Indonesia and the Philippines, which have both enacted more stringent standards.”

Studies by National Chengchi University show that nearly 80% of Taiwanese believe chickens are caused to suffer by cage farming, while close to 70% said they believe the government should ban battery cages. “Despite this public sentiment, Taiwan received zero points in the ‘Ending Cages’ pillar of the Benchmark – which assesses progress towards eliminating cages – showing that government action is failing to keep pace with public expectations,” EAST said.

Upon the release of the report, Democratic Progressive Party Legislator Lin Shu-fen (林淑芬) said that improving the treatment of hens is essential for a safe and stable egg supply. She also said she would “fully support” a transition to “animal-friendly farming” in the legislature.

“The government cannot expect the industry to transition on its own – (it) must introduce policies to guide the transition,” Lin said.

Kuomintang Legislator Wang Yu-min (王育敏) said she would push for cage-free eggs in school lunches. She said this would enable coming generations to access safer food and allow them to learn about food production.

Meanwhile, Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Chen Gau-tzu (陳昭姿) described a “vicious cycle” in Taiwan’s egg industry. She noted the issue of “hens raised in cramped cages, resulting in weakened immune systems and increased use of antibiotics” and called on authorities to implement reforms.

EAST said the results show there is no direct relationship between a country’s wealth and performance in the rankings and highlighted Japan and Singapore’s low scores. The animal welfare group also noted that global companies operating in Asia have pledged to end their use of cage eggs, including Nestle, Unilever, Burger King, KFC, and Marriott, as well as Asian companies like Minor International and Jollibee Foods Corporation.