A&W is giving $100,000 to Farm & Food Care Canada to
research welfare-friendly housing.
Several major fast-food chains have recently announced they
intend to buy only eggs from hens that are not housed in cages. Most set a
target of 1017 to 2020.
Egg Farmers of Canada, the national supply-management
agency, has said it intends to eventually have all Canadian hens out of cages.
The company wants to buy its eggs from cage-free farms that
protect hen and farmer health, as well as refuse to use antibiotics on its
brood, said Susan Senecal, A&W's president and chief operating officer. It
plans to do so within the next two years.
But there are not enough free-run or free-range farms in
Canada to supply A&W's egg demands, as none meet the company's standards
for antibiotic use, she said.
Some research shows free-run housing can expose hens to
environmental irritants and more aggressive behaviour from their peers.
"What we're hoping to find here is something that
really leads the world in terms of the next advance in hen housing," said
Senecal.
