Washington, DC — U.S. Ag Secretary Tom Vilsack is scheduled to meet with egg producers and industry leaders this Wednesday (9/21) to discuss issues with raising cage-free eggs. The demand for cage-free eggs is rising, but Vilsack questions whether consumers realize what it takes to make that possible.
United Egg Producers President Chad Gregory says around 90 percent of egg farms currently produce eggs through conventional methods.
Around 160 companies have committed to selling cage-free eggs, according to Gregory. Given what they need to meet demand, he says it’s a significant investment.
Switching to cage-free doesn’t happen overnight, Gregory adds, and companies will need to make huge investments in time and resources to meet the goal of supplying only cage-free eggs. Iowa is the nation’s top egg producer, with roughly 60 million laying hens producing nearly 15 billion eggs per year.
