McDonald's switch to cage-free eggs has companies scrambling By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.22.15 Word Count 837 Third-generation farmer Frank Hilliker checks on his 8,000 Leghorn chickens in a cage-free aviary system barn at Hilliker's Ranch Fresh Eggs, a family business since 1942, in Lakeview, California, Dec. 19, 2014. Photo: Allen J. Schaben/Los Angeles Times/TNS Will the next egg you eat come from a chicken raised in a roomier barn? Foodies and farmers say it probably will pretty soon. Both say McDonald s recent decision to switch to cage-free eggs will change the $9 billion egg industry. Right now, egg companies still produce 96 percent of eggs in barns full of stacked wire cages. McDonald's buys 2 billion eggs a year, which makes it hard to ignore. Many other companies have also made a similar switch. Burger King, Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks are just three.
Laws Require More Space For Hens California passed a law requiring more space for egg-laying hens in 2008. Since then, Washington, Oregon, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio have passed laws regulating hen housing. The McDonald s announcement really settles the debate as to whether there will be a future for cage confinement in the egg industry the answer is no, there won t be, said Paul Shapiro. He is vice president of farm animal protection for the Humane Society of the U.S. How quickly that will happen is now the real question. Ken Klippen, head of the National Association of Egg Farmers, agrees. He isn t exactly applauding the McDonald s decision, though. He wrote the company, challenging the idea that it s more humane to give chickens more room. He also said that more manure may come into contact with eggs laid by hens that have access to floors. I agree, Klippen said. McDonald's decision changes things. Some egg farmers do not agree that the decision was a good one, he said. Producers Already Expanding Enclosures Glenn Hickman isn t waiting to debate the merits. The Arizona egg producer responded to the announcement with plans to build a modern, 2-million-hen facility. Hickman, like other West-Coast producers already selling eggs in California, has been moving toward roomier enclosures since Proposition 2 passed in 2008. California s Proposition 2, which took full effect in January, does not say exactly how big the enclosure has to be. It requires that hens have the ability to turn around freely. They have to be able to lie down, stand up and fully extend their limbs. California has since issued a rule requiring about 116 square inches per bird. A 2010 law expanded Proposition 2 to apply to all eggs sold in the state. California consumes roughly twice as many eggs as it produces. Californians buy much of their eggs from farms in other states. Chickens Stacked In Old Wire Cages Before the law passed, Hickman housed several million chickens in stacked wire enclosures. They are known as battery cages. These cages leave each bird with less space than a sheet of photocopy paper, or a little more than 90 square inches.
By December, 4 million of his projected 10 million laying hens will live in more spacious enriched enclosures. Such larger spaces offer perches, scratch areas and private areas to lay eggs. When it comes to harvesting an egg, whether the chicken can fly up or down or scratch or perch really doesn t upset the production of the egg, Hickman said. As long as we can convince the consumer that those things cost a little bit extra, but they re worth it" and eggs can be sold for a profit, farmers are "happy to do so. Big egg producers in the Midwest also have shifted production. Rose Acre Farms in Indiana has about 25 million hens. It has committed to putting larger spaces in any new barns. Prices Go Up In California The shift has driven up costs. The amount supermarkets pay for eggs the wholesale price has widened in California and other states, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. The gap between California and New York, for example, rose to $1 a dozen in January. The difference was 12 cents in October 2014. This week, the average wholesale price for a dozen white, large eggs was around $2.40 in California, up by $1.26 from this time last year, according to the USDA. The nationwide average was $1.78, up about 82 cents from the same period last year. Much of the recent price increase has been attributed to outbreaks of bird flu this spring. The disease which wiped out more than 42 million laying hens in the U.S. Midwest. Egg producers have warned of price shocks due to the cage-free craze. San Diego egg farmer Frank Hilliker, for example, said he lost several customers after he made the switch. One was a grocer who bought about $4,000 worth of eggs each week. Klippen said the egg industry will fight efforts to extend cage-free regulations. He said McDonald s bowed to a small group of consumers, who are sort of the animal activists. But neither Hickman nor Hilliker is turning back any time soon. It s been a challenge going cage-free, but it s reinvigorated me, as a farmer, Hilliker said. When he goes into his barns on a given morning, Hilliker said, I ll look, and say, oh my God, I can t believe I did this and survived. And I m building the next one.
Quiz 1 Which two of these sentences provide the BEST evidence against the decision by McDonald's? 1. McDonald's buys 2 billion eggs a year, which makes it hard to ignore. 2. He also said that more manure may come into contact with eggs laid by hens that have access to floors. 3. The gap between California and New York, for example, rose to $1 a dozen in January. 4. It s been a challenge going cage-free, but it s reinvigorated me, as a farmer, Hilliker said. 1 and 2 2 and 3 3 and 4 1 and 4 2 Which paragraph in the section "Chickens Stacked In Old Wire Cages" does NOT show egg farmers adapting to the standards that McDonald's now supports? 3 Which answer choice BEST describes how the article develops its central ideas? It begins with the cost of switching to cage-free egg farming, discusses opposition to laws like California's Proposition 2 in other states, and describes conditions of egg-laying hens. It begins with the decision by McDonald's, raises questions about the costs and benefits of the change, and explains how some farmers are adjusting to it. It begins with the McDonald's decision, discusses opinions about California's Proposition 2, and shows how egg farmers are making changes. It begins with the conditions of egg-laying hens, analyzes the debate about McDonald's, and raises the issue of avian flu.
4 Which sentence from the section "Producers Already Expanding Enclosures" would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? Hickman, like other West-Coast producers already selling eggs in California, has been moving toward roomier enclosures since Proposition 2 passed in 2008. California s Proposition 2, which took full effect in January, does not say exactly how big the enclosure has to be. California has since issued a rule requiring about 116 square inches per bird. California consumes roughly twice as many eggs as it produces.
Answer Key 1 Which two of these sentences provide the BEST evidence against the decision by McDonald's? 1. McDonald's buys 2 billion eggs a year, which makes it hard to ignore. 2. He also said that more manure may come into contact with eggs laid by hens that have access to floors. 3. The gap between California and New York, for example, rose to $1 a dozen in January. 4. It s been a challenge going cage-free, but it s reinvigorated me, as a farmer, Hilliker said. 1 and 2 2 and 3 3 and 4 1 and 4 2 Which paragraph in the section "Chickens Stacked In Old Wire Cages" does NOT show egg farmers adapting to the standards that McDonald's now supports? Paragraph 11: Before the law passed, Hickman housed several million chickens in stacked wire enclosures. They are known as battery cages. These cages leave each bird with less space than a sheet of photocopy paper, or a little more than 90 square inches. 3 Which answer choice BEST describes how the article develops its central ideas? It begins with the cost of switching to cage-free egg farming, discusses opposition to laws like California's Proposition 2 in other states, and describes conditions of egg-laying hens. It begins with the decision by McDonald's, raises questions about the costs and benefits of the change, and explains how some farmers are adjusting to it. It begins with the McDonald's decision, discusses opinions about California's Proposition 2, and shows how egg farmers are making changes. It begins with the conditions of egg-laying hens, analyzes the debate about McDonald's, and raises the issue of avian flu.
4 Which sentence from the section "Producers Already Expanding Enclosures" would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? Hickman, like other West-Coast producers already selling eggs in California, has been moving toward roomier enclosures since Proposition 2 passed in 2008. California s Proposition 2, which took full effect in January, does not say exactly how big the enclosure has to be. California has since issued a rule requiring about 116 square inches per bird. California consumes roughly twice as many eggs as it produces.