Transcript Slide 1
Sustaining our Future and Customer Focus
Egg Farmers of Canada
Overview
Snapshot of the Canadian egg industry
Supply Management
Canadian Policy
Long Term Sustainability and Customer Focus
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A snapshot of the
Canadian egg industry
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Canadian snapshot
Number of regulated egg producers in Canada: 1,016
Production in all 10 provinces and the Northwest Territories
Average number of hens per producer: 20,241
There are approximately 21.5 million birds in production
Many egg farms owned and operated by families who have
been in the business for generations
About 20% are first-generation farmers
The industry contributes $1.4 billion annually to the Canadian
economy
Canadian egg industry employs 16,800 people—many of them
through much needed rural jobs
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Supply Management
and Canadian Policy
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Supply Management
Uniquely Canadian marketing system
Matches production with consumer demand
Stable income for farmers, stable prices for consumers,
suppliers, retailers and other industries
3 Pillars:
Import Controls
Production Planning
Does not block imports
Guaranteed volume with no tariffs
Quota set annually based on market analysis
Flexible and reduces over/under-production
Producer Pricing
Price farmer receives based on cost of production
Creates incentive for efficiency
Retailers set consumer price
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Canadian policy
In Canada, Canadian egg farmers work together through Egg Farmers of
Canada—a collective representing their interests
Egg farmers receive no government subsidies
Rather they are supported by government legislation that ensures selfsufficiency
It allows individual farmers to collaborate at the national level to achieve
much more together than they can alone
Social responsibility is a key aspect of our policy – Achieved by promoting
the public understanding and appreciation for egg farmers’ contribution
to economic development, community vitality, and environmental
stewardship
Egg farmers are in a very strong position and a unique opportunity to
ensure and work towards a sustainable egg industry into the future
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Long Term
Sustainability and
Customer Focus
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Sustainability
Projects/Programs
The egg farmers of Canada see the long term sustainability
and growth of their industry from a holistic perspective,
which means a multifaceted approach is taken:
Being active in international affairs
Sponsoring efficiencies through research and development
Promoting food safety and animal welfare with our on farm and
traceability programmes
Forward looking by focusing on:
Environmental and social management
Total quality management
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Sustainability
Canadian Egg Farmers Internationally
Egg Farmers of Canada are part of the supply management
group SM5 that closely monitors international issues
Egg Farmers of Canada – A key player in the International Egg
Commission
MOUs with OIE and FAO
Member of the Consumer Goods Forum
Actively involved with Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) and
other such initiatives
Egg Farmers of Canada are able to tie in our national
objectives and strategies with what is happening
internationally, and are acutely aware of the challenges the
livestock sector will be facing in the future
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Sustainability
Research and Development
Canadian egg farmers fund projects on a range of topics:
Poultry health and welfare
Human nutrition
Environmental issues
Economics
Egg Farmers of Canada is supporting experts by providing
multi-year funding to their research – Research Chairs
This wide ranging research is promoting efficiency in the
nutritional value of eggs as well as production output and its
effects
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Sustainability
On Farm and Traceability
Start Clean Stay Clean (SCSC) Program
Animal Care Program
HACCP based on farm food safety program
Based on the Canadian Code of Practice
Canadian Egg Industry Traceability System (CEITS)
Benefits:
Improved Food Safety
Verification of production practices
Improved Animal Health/Disease response
Greater Supply Chain Control and Visibility
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Sustainability (underway)
Environmental & Social Life Cycle Assessment
EFC implementing a Life Cycle Assessment Project on the whole
supply chain. There is no legislation or outside pressure to do
carry out this initiative – It is just the right thing to do.
Guiding principle for EFC is that communities are served and
supported through the social, economic, and environmental
actions of egg farmers.
Environmental issues are generally a growing concern to
consumers in Canada and internationally
The Egg industry LCA boundary is the complete supply chain:
laying hen breeder flock to table eggs arriving at retail stores
further processed eggs
Spent hen disposal
By housing systems
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Sustainability (underway)
Environmental & Social Life Cycle Assessment
Environmental LCA
Generate a national baseline amount of CO2 equivalent, water and land
usage that goes into producing 1kg of eggs
Utilize internationally recognized ISO 14040 and 14044 standards for LCA
Identify environmental ‘red flags’ for development of mitigation strategies
to reduce those potential impacts
Next Steps – In due course develop an environmental assessment
programme
Social LCA
Following United Nations Environmental Program SLCA Guidelines
Generate a national baseline for social factors and societal impacts
involved in egg production
Identify social ‘red flags’ for development of mitigation strategies to reduce
those potential impacts
Next Steps – In due course develop an assessment programme
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Sustainability (underway)
National Quality Code Project
National Quality Code (NQC) Project aims to develop a
household national identity for Canadian eggs
Concept:
To display the National Quality Code (NQC) symbol,
eggs would have to be produced (verified) under the auspices of
all the following EFC Programs:
Start Clean Stay Clean (SCSC) Program (on farm food safety)
Animal Care Program
CEITS – Meet the traceability standard
Environmental Assessment (future requirement as project ongoing)
Pilot projects soon underway in British Columbia and Quebec
Industry stakeholders are being engaged
EFC applying for developmental funding from the Canadian
Government under Growing Forward 2
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Conclusions
Egg Farmers of Canada is committed to the efficient
utilisation of our natural resources in a way that conserves
them for future generations
Supply management provides EFC with a social license to
initiate long term programs that benefit the consumer and all
the industry stakeholders, whilst meeting our obligations on
Social Responsibility
Not only are Canadian egg farmers talking up commitment
they are doing it
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THANK YOU!
Any questions?
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