World Egg Day – "United By Eggs"

'If an egg is broken by an outside force, life ends. If broken by an inside force, life begins' - Anonymous 

INTRODUCTION

This year, the 11th of October marks World Egg Day. This day is heralded by many as a day on which we celebrate what is considered one of the most popular sources of animal-based protein on the planet: eggs. In 2024, the theme for World Egg Day as prescribed by the International Egg Commission (IEC) is "United by Eggs", which is said to "unite all egg consumers, poultry farmers and animal welfare activists, leading to better lives for all egg laying birds". Conventional eggs however, and those who are involved in the process to bring these to people - chickens - are subjected to myriad cruel practices. This cruelty has removed chickens' ability to live natural and normal lives and flourish as sentient beings. 

This article discusses the origins of World Egg Day and highlights a few of the many animal welfare and related issues inherent in the current egg production systems. It highlights that positively there is growing advocacy, sensitization and awareness being done. This movement is shifting the way in which layer hens are housed and ultimately treated. Lastly, this blog will speak to Utunzi animal welfare organization's specific work in this area including sensitization towards better protection for layer hens and more accountability for those producing eggs in Kenya.

WORLD EGG DAY ORIGIN

World Egg Day was first celebrated in 1996 at a conference in Vienna by the IEC, and since then has been celebrated every year on the second Friday of October. Since 1996, many countries around the world have participated in the celebration of eggs in various creative ways social media celebrations, competitions, digital campaigns and even festivals held to celebrate eggs globally.

Eggs are viewed as a popular, cheap, environmentally friendly source of protein which everyone can afford and access, from those in less affluent rural communities to those on the higher end of the financial spectrum. Looking more into the well being and welfare of the chickens implicated in egg production, some may not be aware of many harmful practices done to the hens who lay these eggs. However, when thinking of eggs and the industry, we cannot simply separate the chicken from the egg. Many of these hens have been cross-bred and genetically manipulated to produce roughly 300 eggs per year. This is approximately 120 more eggs annually than they would have been laying 50 years ago. The result of this, is a depletion of their bodies' nutrients and frustration and fighting between hens, among other issues. This high volume of egg-laying further shortens their lifespan from 6-8 years for backyard flocks to 2-3 years for those housed in the commercial system. 

CAGE-FREE COMMITMENT AND THE OPEN WING ALLIANCE 

Globally, thousands of corporations have already made cage-free commitments to end the use of battery cages. This is, in large part, due to the continued efforts of the Open Wing Alliance (OWA). Founded in 2016, the OWA is a global coalition of organizations around the world working together towards the end of chicken abuse worldwide. Utunzi being part of this movement is working towards eliminating the use of battery cages by the industry. It aims to achieve this by engaging with various stakeholders and working with these stakeholders to develop, release and enforce their respective cage-free policy. 

WORLD EGG DAY CELEBRATION 2024

In this year's world egg day celebration, Utunzi animal welfare organization collaborated with Egerton University, faculty of veterinary medicine and surgery to commemorate this day. Students participated in egg trivia session, procession and hen welfare seminar. Utunzi animal welfare organization did a lead presentation on the role of veterinarians in animal welfare. This was an insightful event to all the attendees of this event. ANAW representatives also encouraged the students to be good welfare ambassadors especially for the layer hens who are confined in battery cages. This event was a great success and we are glad to be contributing to the discourse on animal welfare cage free work in Kenya.