The World Animal Health Organisation (OIE) is proposing global standards for housing laying hens, which will now exclude conventional cages from their standard. Have your say by contacting your Chief Veterinary Officer or OIE Country Delegate. To find out how to do so and for more details released by the IEC click here.
Imports of shell chicken table eggs from Jan 2014 to Sept 2018. The deluge of imports from Brazil has slowed significantly in September 2018. One can only hope that this is an indication of a cessation of these imports from South America.
We commend the swift and professional action taken by a Midlands egg farmer in testing their product that was in question. One wonders whether the recent cases that have been reported are in fact linked or not. Read the above article published in The Independent on Saturday for more details.
The egg industry seems to be in a constant battle to maintain a wholesome reputation. With increased acceptance of the paleo, LCHF and ketogenic diets, where eating whole foods is encouraged, the versatile egg is regaining its well deserved spot on South African’s menus. The recent salmonella food poisoning scare in KZN has seen many fingers pointing in the direction of the egg, but all of these claims are mere speculation at this stage as nothing has been proven as yet. Accusations such as these do little to serve the reputation of the egg, and we wait with baited breath to hear the outcome of the investigation. For more info on this story follow this link to access an article published in The Mercury on 12 November 2018.
Imports of shell chicken table eggs from 2014 to Aug 2018. The torrent of imports has continued from Brazil. Questions must be asked; what is the quality of these eggs upon arriving on our shores, can our market accommodate the influx of these additional eggs and are they liable for any tariff duties? We certainly don’t want our egg industry to suffer at the hands of imports as our battered broiler industry has.
Friday, 12 October, is World Egg Day, established by the International Egg Commission (IEC) in 1996, with the aim of dedicating a day to educate the nation on this powerhouse food source jam packed with good quality proteins and essential vitamins and minerals, which has in the past received undue criticism for its cholesterol content. In order to inspire our producers, we thought we’d share with you how some other countries celebrated World Egg Day in 2017:
Australia took advantage of the opportunity by playing on the nations sporting rivalry obsession and challenging Australians to improve their per capita egg consumption in order to outshine other countries. Social media was used to raise awareness, with the assistance of a sporting star, and a mock school sporting event was held on World Egg Day which was televised on breakfast shows across the country.
Vietnam celebrated their fifth consecutive World Egg Day with an event designed to delight children, with activities, egg shell painting, face painting, balloon blowing and food tasting.
The UK ran a week-long programme entitled “Wake up to British Egg Week” with the aim of honouring the Great British breakfast and promoting eggs and World Egg Day. Rather impressively, Oxford University hosted egg fans who succeeded in breaking a Guinness World Record for the most people dipping egg soldiers simultaneously.
The Egg Farmers and Breakfast Clubs of Canada teamed up for World Egg Day promoting breakfast as an integral meal of the day, especially for school children, and they used the #CrackAYoke sending a strong message that skipping breakfast is no yoke. The initiative was supported by Canadian comedian, Gerry Dee, in conjunction with social media experts and bloggers, all in an attempt to reach the nation of Canada on World Egg Day.
Romania used World Egg Day as an opportunity to target schools, running a countrywide campaign aimed at providing school children and teachers with information on the health benefits of eggs, as well as general interesting facts.
An egg business in Croatia, named Hartmann, partnered with theatre company Oberon and the Danish Embassy to stage a theatre festival for children from kindergarten to high school goers. The festival spanned three days with four performances, and an Egg Statue was awarded for the best play.
The Botswana Poultry Association, in collaboration with the national 7’s rugby team, arranged activities over two days with the aim of celebrating the egg! A World Egg Day breakfast event was also hosted in Gaborone with a morning seminar using the theme “every egg has a story to tell”.
The Irish Egg Association conducted marketing campaigns on social media, the radio and outdoor advertising alongside the Irish Food Board to promote egg consumption amongst young adults, endorsing this superfood that can be eaten daily to support a healthy lifestyle. Olympic rowers, Paul and Gary O’Donovan, and celebrity chef and fitness advocate, Roz Purcell, also added their voices to the campaign to celebrate World Egg Day.
Let’s add South Africa’s story of celebration of World Egg Day to the IEC’s list of inspiring ways that this day can be honoured. To read about more stories follow this link: https://www.internationalegg.com/representing-the-industry/egg-industry/wed-world-egg-day/
Imports of shell chicken table eggs from 2014 to 1H2018. The sudden rise in Brazilian imports is concerning on a number of levels, and one has to question what impact the transatlantic journey had on the quality of these eggs.
The global health community is on high alert as there are fears that the H7N9 strain of bird flu could spark a pandemic and prove as destructive as the 1918 Spanish flu outbreak. The virus has been circulating among poultry in China and to date has killed 623 people – 38% of known cases. H7N9 cannot as yet transmit from person to person, but experiments have shown that it is just three mutations away from being able to do so.
Following a fipronil contamination scare, Germany has recalled 73 000 Dutch eggs from local supermarkets. This is not the first time this insecticide has made headlines, it was the cause of another food scare last year. The public have been reassured that the detected levels fall below any level that would pose a health risk, but are above the legal limits set by the EU. The insecticide was sourced back to an organic firm in the Netherlands.
A team of Spanish researchers from the University of Oviedo completed a study to determine the environmental impact of intensive egg production. The results showed that the production of the feed contributed the most towards the sector’s carbon footprint. A smaller contribution comes from the materials used for packaging eggs, and the team said that keeping hens for longer assists in reducing the subsequent impacts. The resulting carbon footprint was similar to that derived from milk production, but much lower than that of the veal, pork or lamb industry. (The featured image was sourced from the Environmental Working Group and is not derived from the study findings reported above.)
A recent study by scientists at Oxford and Peking Universities has found that Chinese people who ate an egg a day were associated with a lower risk of strokes and cardiovascular disease. The 1950’s British Egg Marketing Board’s slogan, ‘Go to work on an egg,’ still holds true today!
Eggs consumed per capita per annum in a range of countries in 2016. South Africans need to eat more eggs!
The devastating economic impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) on the South African poultry industry in 2017. The virus has continued to linger in summer, when it poses the least threat, hence the rising concern for what lies ahead in the winter season.
