Organic egg production is the production of

eggs Humans and human ancestors have scavenged and eaten animal eggs for millions of years. Humans in Southeast Asia had domesticated chickens and harvested their eggs for food by 1,500 BCE. The most widely consumed eggs are those of fowl, especial ...

through organic means. In this process, the poultry are fed organic feed. According to the United States Department of Agriculture, organic means that the laying hens must have access to the outdoors and cannot be raised in cages.United States Code of Federal Regulations; 7 CFR 205.239 (a)(1) Only natural

molting In biology, moulting (British English), or molting (American English), also known as sloughing, shedding, or in many invertebrates, ecdysis, is the manner in which an animal routinely casts off a part of its body (often, but not always, an outer ...

can occur within the flock;

forced molting Forced molting, sometimes known as induced molting, is the practice by some poultry industries of artificially provoking a flock to molt simultaneously, typically by withdrawing food for 7–14 days and sometimes also withdrawing water for an ext ...

is not allowed. Organic certification also requires maintenance of basic animal welfare standards.

Differences between "free range" and "organic"

Significant differences cover feed, medication, and animal welfare. Organic hens are fed organic feed; it is prohibited to feed animal byproducts or GMO crops – which is not disallowed in free range environments; no antibiotics allowed except in emergencies (in free range, it is up to the farmer, but the same levels of antibiotics as conventional farming is allowed); required animal welfare standards in organic farms are higher, which can improve the quality of both the eggs and the meat. In the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...

(EU), to identify and trace egg production, a unique code must legally be printed on all eggs. A "0" code distinguishes organic farming eggs. The regulation on egg marking includes four levels with strict requirements on husbandry conditions. While free-range and indoor keeping requires 1100 cm² indoor space per hen it makes 1667 cm² (or 6 hens per square meter) the minimum for organic farming.

Organic feed

Organic feed is grown without the use of genetically modified organisms (GMOs), synthetic fertilizers, pesticides or herbicides. It is often grown by

certified organic Organic certification is a certification process for producers of organic food and other organic agricultural products, in the European Union more commonly known as ecological or biological products.Labelling, article 30 o''Regulation (EU) 2018/ ...

farmers, whose practices are monitored for three years prior to being certified organic. If the crop is contaminated by cross-fertilization with GMOs, it is rendered useless for organic grading. Finally, there can be no animal by-products in organic feed.

Living conditions

In the United States, "organic" egg production means that the flock may not live in cages and must have access to outdoor areas.

Antibiotics

Organic egg producers cannot feed low-level

antibiotics An antibiotic is a type of antimicrobial substance active against bacteria. It is the most important type of antibacterial agent for fighting bacterial infections, and antibiotic medications are widely used in the treatment and prevention o ...

to the poultry. Antibiotics are only allowed during an outbreak of infection or disease.

Molting

Some farms induce molting in their flocks to affect egg production. In organic egg farms, the birds are allowed to go into a natural molt but are not induced.

Animal welfare

Meat, poultry, eggs, and dairy products labeled "organic" have must come from animals who are " without antibiotics, added growth hormones, mammalian or avian byproducts, or other prohibited feed ingredients." Farms, processors, and distributors must be inspected by the USDA before they are allowed to use the "organic" label. However, fewer than 5 percent of chickens are raised in accordance with these standards. The "organic" label does not guarantee that animals were treated any better than those raised on conventional CAFOs. ''The Washington Post'' reported that large operations are able to sell their eggs as organic because the USDA has "interpreted the word 'outdoors' in such a way that farms that confine their hens to barns but add 'porches' are deemed eligible for the valuable 'USDA Organic' label. The porches are typically walled-in areas with a roof, hard floors and screening on one side." Male chicks who are born on organic or free-range egg farms are still discarded, by the use of lethal gas, because they do not produce eggs.Chas Newkey-Burden,
Free range is a con. There’s no such thing as an ethical egg
" ''The Guardian'', 30 January 2017.

Differences between "free range" and "organic"

Organic feed

Living conditions

Antibiotics

Molting

Animal welfare

See also

References

Further reading