Danish industry gather about solutions for laying hens

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Danish industry gather about solutions for laying hens

11 November 2021
Animal Protection Denmark
News
Together with The National Organic Association, Eurogroup for Animals' member Animal Protection Denmark hosted a major industry meeting in the egg and poultry industry on sternum fractures in laying hens in Denmark. This was the first time that the whole industry is meeting, and that underlines the seriousness of this matter. The focus was on new initiatives and actions to bring the serious problem to life.

For the first time, the Eurogroup for Animals' member Animal Protection Denmark and the National Organic Association brought together the entire Danish egg and poultry industry as well as the Danish Minister of Food, Agriculture & Fisheries, Rasmus Prehn. The purpose was to discuss sternal fractures and come up with a number of concrete initiatives and actions that the industry itself can initiate, and which Danish politicians and other stakeholders can support through their work.

In the autumn of 2021, the Danish egg and poultry industry got a breather, after the University of Copenhagen published the report "Keel bone fractures in Danish laying hens: Prevalence and risk factors". suffers from sternal fractures due to ovulation.

At Animal Protection, we are of course appalled at how widespread fractures of the sternum of laying hens are. It is completely and utterly unacceptable that this is more the rule than the exception for hens in all branches of egg production. At the same time, it is a difficult and very unfortunate situation for the profession. The support for today's meeting shows how seriously the problem is viewed by everyone with responsibility for and influence on both the problem and the solutions.
Britta Riis, Director of Animal Protection Denmark

The meeting was also attended by the retail industry, which is met every day by consumers who want to buy eggs with a clear conscience. That is why the meeting has been particularly important.

We have had a joint discussion, which has given an overview and an understanding of the challenges in all parts of the food system, which unfortunately pushes the farm animals beyond any reasonable limit. We, therefore, look forward to both the Minister and the producers taking the task further from the action-oriented discussion today. We are pleased with the Minister of Food, Agriculture and Fisheries Rasmus Prehn's call for everyone to put pressure on the European regulation of breeding, and that the Minister himself promised to raise the matter with his European colleagues since the problem is by no means only Danish. We ourselves are putting pressure on via the animal welfare organisations' European association, Eurogroup for Animals.
Britta Riis, Director of Animal Protection Denmark